What Does It Mean To Lose Everything?
Emi is a mother from Indonesia who recently lost her home, business and belongings in a fire. After her husband passed away, Emi started a small kiosk, selling items like rice and soap to people in her village, located a couple of hours outside of Soe in Indonesia.
From the kiosk she was able to earn just enough to feed her children and put a roof over their heads. That was until the fire. When it struck, Emi’s youngest daughter Betrik was inside.
Aged just 8, little Betrik is deaf and mute, so she was unable to yell or scream for help. Thankfully her 11-year-old brother Martin saw her and broke her out through a window. Everything else was lost – their home, business, their few clothes, school books and food – all gone.
Emi is now selling a few bits and pieces from a room in her neighbour’s home where her family is also sleeping. They’re homeless, but she’s doing whatever she can to provide for Betrik and Martin. What she needs is an opportunity to start again.
A small loan will give Emi the tools she needs to rebuild her kiosk and home. It would allow her to buy stock to start a kiosk, investing in soap, shampoo, vegetables, rice, cooking oil and other items used regularly by people in her village.
The great thing about a kiosk for a mother like Emi is that she can start earning money almost instantly. With the profit she earns, she can start providing once more for Martin and Betrik, giving them regular meals each day and replacing their torn clothing and burnt school books.
Emi is ready and willing to work hard – she just needs a hand up to begin earning again.
“We need food, clothes and money for school expenses... I hope I can give my children a good education.”
Today, you can help do just that. You can help transform the life of a family just like Emi’s.
These are sad stories, but they don’t have to be. Because you have the opportunity to turn them around.
Emi has the skills and determination to give her children a better life. She just needs an opportunity to get started again.
The great thing about small loans is that 98% of them are repaid. So once a mother like Emi has built her business, the loan is recycled to go on to help another family.