For lka, a 25-year-old mother of two from rural Indonesia, her ticket of opportunity came when she received a small loan from Opportunity International Australia's local microfinance partner.

lka s married at a young age and moved out of her rural village to live with her husband and his family. She didn't complete her schooling and worked very hard as a farmhand, not earning much money.

She decided to start her own small business selling vegetables, but she realised that vegetable sales alone wouldn't be sustainable.

“I was told if I sold vegetables, no one would buy them," she recalls. lka then pivoted to selling fried snacks made from flour, nuts and vegetables, slowly building a small but steady income.

Accessing cashflow was a challenge for lka. Without funds to buy ingredients in bulk, she often had to wait until she had enough money to run her business.

"Sometimes I sold for one day and then had to stop for two days. I was waiting for the capital first," said lka.

Everything changed when lka received a small loan of Rp 2 million (A$190) from one of Opportunity's local partners. She was able to invest in her business and grow her income. She expanded her product range to include traditional cassava-based snacks like tapai, a fermented rice dish, and gethuk, a sweet cassava dessert made with grated coconut, sugar and salt. In addition to snacks, she began selling fresh fruit such as oranges, mangoes, sapodilla and rambutan.

"After I got the loan, I was able to buy more cassava and produce snacks every day," she said proudly.

In addition to running her growing business, lka also works alongside her husband on their seasonal corn farm, a staple crop in their region. She even buys and sells corn from the market to supplement their income. With the money she has earned, she was able to buy a refrigerator, which allows her to store more gethuk and increase production and profit as an entrepreneur.

Beyond her business success, lka has grown as a leader in her community. Just over a year ago, she took part in the Health Leader training program, equipping her with the knowledge to educate her community about basic health and hygiene. She is now a respected figure in her village, offering guidance and support to families on health and business knowledge.

lka no longer feels isolated in her struggles and now has the tools and knowledge to secure a better future. lka is able to provide a better education for her daughters than she had growing up. Her mindset has shifted from survival to ambition, and she dreams of expanding her business even further.

If you would like to give another woman like lka a Ticket of Opportunity, visit opportunity.org.au/ticket