Name: Pathumma

Pathumma and her sister were talented jute weavers, but the banks would not lend them money to start a business. The group’s trust and support has helped them secure a loan from SAPSRI, which has boosted their business as well as their self esteem.

'After the tsunami, our family lived on Samurdhi aid given by the government. My widowed sister also lived with us. The conflict put further pressure on our lives.

My sister and I can weave various things from jute, like bags and mats. But we couldn’t use this skill to start a business as we didn’t have a single cent as venture capital.

We tried getting a loan from several state banks, but we couldn’t even dream of fulfilling their various requirements of documents and guarantors. It was then that we become members of the IKRA community-based organization and our dream came true.

SAPSRI came to our support through IKRA. It understood our skills and, with trust as the base, gave us a loan of 20,000.00 SLR each. Furthermore, we received business development training, which really helped us to manage our small venture.

We are improving on our own strengths and repaying the loans successfully. We have an innocent feeling of pride and joy within us now.'