Bhavna and her family used to rely on her husband’s income for rent, food and education costs for their 3 children – aged 11, 16, and 18. He played percussion in a band, performing at weddings and other events. Even before the pandemic, money was tight. The family, who live in Kutch, Gujarat, was living on around A$145-$180 a month, and it was difficult to manage their expenses, let alone save for the future.

Then her husband’s work came to a standstill during lockdown and the family’s income dried up. “In first wave (of COVID-19) there was lockdown everywhere so already business was affected. My husband used to work for a band. But he lost his job due to (restrictions from) COVID-19. This had a very adverse impact on the earnings as the main earning member had lost his job,” Bhavna shares. It was difficult for the family to afford rent and food, and their children’s education was put on hold during extensive school closures.

Bhavna had tailoring skills, so she decided to take out a loan from one of Opportunity’s local program partners to start a tailoring business and provide for her family. With a small loan of A$370, she was able to buy a sewing machine, buttons, zips and fabrics, and other materials, as well as colourful readymade sarees to sell. Her husband helped her to set up the business and helped out with sewing, and soon they started getting orders.

The mother of three has built a successful business, eventually taking out further loans to grow her inventory and invest in more materials and supplies. Through their dedication and hard work, Bhavna and her husband have been able to increase their income by more than 50 per cent – and are able to earn even more during the busy wedding and festive seasons. Now that things are returning to normal, her husband also supplements their income from the shop by performing in the band again.

Their son has started helping out in the tailoring business, and they hope their two daughters may also be interested in joining the family business in future.

They’ve been able to start saving money as well as providing for their children’s education, setting them up for a brighter future.

We are able to give them better quality of education and better living and also able to save for their future,” says Bhavna, who only studied up to grade 7.

In the future, she hopes to expand her business and open a cloth shop. She also aims to build a new home for her and her family.

With Bhavna’s drive to continue improving life for her family, and a hand up in the form of small loans to grow her business, anything is possible.