Manti, a mother of six girls, is one of the millions of women Opportunity supports with a small loan. Manti and her family live in Bihar, the third most populous state in India, where more than a third of the population live below the poverty line. 

According to UNICEF, children in Bihar face many challenges owing to widespread poverty, deep-rooted socio-cultural and gender inequalities, caste divisions, poor infrastructure, lack of basic services and recurring natural disasters. 

Manti’s family struggle to make ends meet. Her husband is a labourer, but his earnings aren’t enough to cover their expenses. 

There is often only enough money for one meal a day for the family of eight. Some nights, Manti is forced to send her children to bed with only a cup of water to fill their empty stomachs.

^{Manti and her six daughters are on the start of their journey out of poverty.}

Their home is small with an outdoor kitchen and water pump. They don’t have a bathroom and the girls use a nearby field as a toilet, which can be dangerous at night. 

One of their daughters, six-year-old Mohan, was born with a tumour on her eye. Manti worries about her future as they simply cannot afford medical treatment or surgery to help her. 

But Manti and her family are slowly turning things around. With a small loan from one of Opportunity’s microfinance partners in India, Manti was able to start a farming business, growing vegetables and selling goat’s milk. She hopes to expand her business in the future and help give her children a better future. 

^{Manti began a farming business with the help of a small loan.}

“I want to give my children a better life,” said Manti. “I don’t want them to live the life and face the problems I did.” 

While Manti is at the start of her journey out of poverty, her neighbour Rani is a bit further down the track. 

Prior to receiving a small loan from Opportunity’s local partner, Rani found life very tough. As a couple, Rani and her husband simply didn’t earn enough money to keep their kids in school and the children had to drop out, risking the chance for an education and opportunities for the future. 

^{Rani and her family.}

The answer for Rani and her family came in the form of a loan to buy a buffalo. As well as being able to sell the milk for additional income, Rani could also provide the nutritious milk to her children and family. 

Buoyed by her success, with her second loan, Rani and her husband established a basic shop where they could buy items in bulk and sell them locally. Things began to improve drastically with this newly diversified income. 

Today, several loans later, she is a successful businesswoman in her village, with newfound confidence, transforming life for her and her family. 

^{Rani runs a successful buffalo business.}

On the front steps of her modest brick home, Rani smiles proudly and holds up six fingers. This is the number of buffalos she now owns thanks to years of hard work and microfinance loans. This income has enabled her children to go back to school, improved health and nutrition for the whole family, and a brighter future ahead. 

“We see ourselves as financially empowered now,” she says.