By Louise and the KTD196 Dream Team | Jack of all trades, master of none!
What a privilege it is to be a part of something that really does change lives! I am blown away often by the impact we are having and the changes we are seeing through the work KTD196 does. I really do hope you get a sense of my excitement as I share what is happening with the SHG (Self Help Groups).
We now officially have 16 groups with another 4 in process. That means we currently have 321 mothers in the program who are supporting 874 children, so that is over 1,000 current beneficiaries of this program. Well, those are the numbers, but so what?
Well, what those numbers translate into is that 321 of the poorest of the poor families that we are working with now have access to financial independence through this program. No longer is food security an issue, no longer are school fees an issue, and no longer are the ladies being forced to pay the money lenders between 30-50% interest to borrow. No longer do the ladies have to go door to door begging for food, they are now the answer to their own problems. No longer do they feel worthless, useless, trapped in a cycle of poverty, and no longer do they have to contend with being judged or treated badly by others just for being poor. They are no longer ridiculed by relatives and pushed further down by life in an often cruel environment.
Through your support and encouragement, we are changing whole family's lives.
Combined, all the groups now have at their disposal over R128,000 This money goes out each week in small loans according to each group's available money and then comes back with 10% interest.
Over R539,000 has gone out in circular loans. What this means is that R128,000 rands has been disbursed in the form of loans to the value of R539,000 rands. So the money goes out, and is brought back with interest, then goes out again, and again, and again. The ladies have at their disposal this money that rapidly grows.
Just as another statistic, over 60% of the ladies now have small businesses. They have started a variety of different businesses including selling airtime, selling eggs, chickens, vegetables, and cleaning products. One ladies has started a small spaza shop which sells a variety of different products like maize meal (a staple food), cooking oil, cool drink, sweets, etc.
All of the groups have started small business courses through the program to assist their business to grow. This is the start of financial freedom. The businesses in the future will grow and become opportunities for employment for others such as bakeries, restaurants, and tailor shops. The opportunities are only limited by imagination and you have been allowed these ladies to dream, not just for them but also for their children.
This is huge! Thank you so much. Thank you for having the desire to make a difference and for joining and supporting our vision and our dreams to make a difference. If you have any comments please leave me a message, I love hearing from our supporters!
God bless you
Louise
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