A Helping Hand: My Loan Recipient

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Liya Banda is the loan recipient I helped fund from Lusaka, Zambia. Her story stood out to me because there was not much progress made on her loan. She was far from her goal with only 10% progress made. At the time I picked her, there was a glitch on FINCA’s website and I wasn’t even able to read her full biography. I decided to fund her loan anyways because I trusted that she could use the help. Her story was on the last page of the website, her loan wasn’t near being fully funded, and her biography was not complete. I put myself in her position and realized just how much help she needed. I had hope that people would do the same I did and give her the benefit of the doubt. Once I was able to read her full story, I was so glad I picked her. When Liya was in seventh grade, she had to drop out of school due to the lack of funds. Her father died around the same time, when she was thirteen. This forced her family to split up and move in with relatives. Liya was fortunate enough to stay with her mother and they both moved into her uncle’s home where Liya was mistreated by her aunt. Liya was so young and already had such a tough life. She began selling vegetables at the market to provide for her and her family. Later on, Liya got married and had four children. Her husband’s business failed which ultimately ended her marriage. He was unable to provide for their family so he ended up leaving them. Liya learned about FINCA at the market one day and joined the nearest Village Bank. Liya began improving her business with only one loan. She increased her stock and began carrying a wide variety of vegetables which helped increase her profits. Liya said, “Ever since I started getting FINCA loans, my family has no...

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...do what nurses do with a smile on their face and I can’t wait for that moment to come. This has been a great experience and holds true to what Avila believes in and teaches their students. Some of Avila’s values that are relevant to helping others through microfinance are to prepare students for responsible lifelong contributions to the global community, and the importance of the worth, dignity, and potential of each human being. I feel like this experience has helped prepare me for lifelong contributions I will make in my community. I will always remember this opportunity and look back on this time in my life. Microfinance through FINCA shows the importance of the worth, dignity, and potential of each human being. It shows that every person deserves a chance to succeed. I look forward to helping more people through microfinance and tracking their progress.

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