Fatuma Anawari, Kenya

 A $20 microloan transformed Fatuma into the main breeder of hens in her village.

When Fatuma was a young girl, family hardships forced her to drop out of primary school after only two years; she never learned to read or write.  Like every young mother, her dream is to educate and provide for her children.

Fatuma joined a borrower’s group in her village and received a $20 loan from Yehu Microfinance Trust — Grameen Foundation’s partner in Kenya and a recipient of financing from The Pioneer Fund.  Grameen Foundation established this special fund to make sure that well-run local groups reaching the very poorest have access to the money they need to make loans and increase the number of women they serve. 

This simple loan of $20 transformed Fatuma into a rural entrepreneur who now raises and sells chickens to be used as food. Most recently, her local chicken-raising group nominated her to be the main breeder of hens.  Fatuma was tasked with raising 12 hens that can provide a good number of eggs. She also shared best practices with new entrepreneurs in her village who wanted to get into the egg-selling business.  Since then, the villagers have taken over this egg project, allowing Fatuma time to concentrate on rearing her local breeds of chicken.

Fatuma’s chicken business earns a profit of $10 a month. This small amount of money is a big step in fulfilling her dream to send three of her children to school regularly and feed her family daily.