Quiet Determination… Can you see it in her face?

Hyatt Murid is a remarkable women.

You can you see the resolve behind that look?

She’d had an idea to improve the standard of living for her family and she bubbled with excitement at the prospect of it working. But until it was her turn to speak, she sat quietly poised at a meeting with the other women, until her friends persuaded her to tell her story.

The women’s group that Hyatt was part of were as excited as she was. The small business idea had almost tripled her investment in 6 months, growing from 400 Birr to 1000 Birr (from £12 to £30). Not much you might think, but she had been living on less than 50 pence a day and she had three children!

The women’s group had got together and started saving small sums of money each month. They called themselves the Alshoni Women’s Group, which quickly attracted 85 members, each person saved 25 Birr (just under £1) each month. When they had built up 30,000 Birr of capital (£1000) they started to lend money to group members who had a good business idea.

Hyatt’s idea was simple, she was a good cook and she’d been told by friends and neighbours she cooked the best injera in the area. Injera is a pancake made from Teff flour and served with every meal.

She saved 400 Birr of her own money and borrowed 600 Birr from the Alshoni Women’s group. She could now afford to buy Teff flour and make and sell injera. She did this repeatedly over six months. She paid back the Alshoni womens group 600 birr plus 60 Birr interest. Her own capital had grown from 400 to 1000 Birr.

Working with people like Hyatt and her women’s group enables families to prosper.

Thank you so much for your generosity.