Empower 600 Women in Ghana with Microcredit Loans

Lucy is 38 and hails from the northern sector of Ghana. She migrated to the southern sector with her husband in search of greener pastures. Lucy's husband, Kwame, is a farmer and laborer at Bedaabour. They have two children, Ebenezer, who is an eleven-year-old in fourth grade at Bedaabour District Assembly basic school and Isaac, an eight-month-old.

Lucy has been active in the micro-credit program since 2012. When asked about how she joined the Self-Help International (SHI) micro-credit program, Lucy answered “It was through close friends and relatives.” Her first loan was GHC150 (approximately $50), which she invested in her petty trading business. Starting out, she sold groceries on tables but later on she built her own wooden kiosk/stall. To generate additional income to better support her family, Lucy diversified her business and now sells prepared food in her village square daily.

When they first arrived to Bedaabour, Lucy and her family moved to every few months in search of adequate housing. The ongoing search for a suitable shelter continued until a relative offered them a vacant room. Lucy explained to SHI that it is not a decent place for human habitation, but her and her family had no other choice.

Now that Lucy is able to contribute financially towards the upkeep of the children, their home is a more peaceful place with fewer financial stresses. Little by little, Lucy and her husband saved up and secured a piece of land at Bedaabour to put up their own home for the first time since migrating south. They are currently constructing a two-bedroom house where their family will live peacefully, no longer worrying about where they'll move next. 

Lucy plans to invest her next loan in completing their new house, so she and her family can finally move into more dignified living standards. Lucy and her family will enjoy maximum peace once they move into their new home. Ebenezer will have peace and quiet to concentrate on his homework. They will have their privacy living in their own home and, at last, have their own space to spend time together as a family.

There will also be enough space in their future home to allow them to each sleep under insecticide-treated mosquito nets. This will reduce incidents of malaria in the family, especially among the two children. With reduced cases of malaria in the family, Lucy will spend less time seeking treatment for family members at the hospital, freeing up more time for her business. This gift of increased time will translate into more productive hours at work and greater profit, as well as improved overall finances. Lucy told SHI that this extra income will be spent on her children’s education, and that SHI has made it easier to take proper care of her first priority, her children.

After 15 years of marriage, Lucy is a more supportive wife, a prouder mother, and happier spirit than ever before. She is grateful to SHI and its donors for the support extended to her. This is the transformation the micro-credit program brings into the lives of its beneficiaries: financial empowerment. With access to training and loans, women contribute to the upkeep of the home, earn respect from their husbands, and are better able to support their children and their children’s education. Thank you for your support.  Your donations will help more women like Lucy transform their lives and live with the dignity that all humans deserve.