Small loans, big dreams
Amahi, Morang
Like many Nepalese women, Dukhni Devi has a dream — quality education for her children and a safe and stable home where all members are living healthy, productive lives.
It was more than wishful thinking but there were challenges. Similar to numerous low-income families in Nepal, she was not able to gain access to mortgage loans or housing finance services from the mainstream banking sector. Imagine her delight when she learned about the new housing loans offered by Jeevan Bikash Laghubitta, of which she is a member! With the support of Habitat for Humanity Nepal, the microfinance institution has grown a housing micro-loan portfolio.
“I never knew microfinance institutions offered such loans,” said Dukhni Devi who took out an NPR 120,000 (USD 1,000) housing microfinance loan to buy a plot of land. Combining her savings with grants from the government and Habitat Nepal, she was able to build a new home in Morang in July 2020.
Shortly after moving in, she started a home-based tailoring business that brings in 40,000 Nepalese rupees (over US$330) monthly. With her earnings, she is able to repay 5,000 Nepalese rupees each month on her loan and pay for her two children’s school fees besides other expenses.
Now, I am contributing as much as my husband. The money we earned together has helped us to accumulate sizeable savings which we plan to invest in opening a tailoring skills training center for women in our community.
