Success Stories
Featured Client Stephen Adzika
Stephen is a master Kente weaver and one of the few Atorkor experts of the trade. He is part of the Good Future Cooperative together with 3 other borrowers, who at this time still work under Stephen’s supervision for quality control and guidance.
Kente is the art of intertwining colored cotton threads to create beautiful woven patterns. The trade has suffered greatly from cheap substitutes. Thousands of yards of printed Kente cloths are commercialized in Accra which cannibalizes the sales of original pieces. Real Kente cloth is still considered elegant, however, and is sought after as ceremonial attire.
Our experience with Stephen made us realize the need for additional credit offerings. Capital needs change continually for Kente weavers. Since most work is done on contract, weavers have unpredictable revenue streams, which make it difficult to fit them on a regular 6-month loan cycle. Materials are bought in Accra and the lack of on-hand materials forces the weavers to absorb the cost of traveling to the city to buy them as needed, thus increasing costs without increasing revenues sometimes to break-even point. We believe this challenge will be overcome if we are able to offer our weavers a fixed amount line of credit.
Stephen has promised that he will do his best to train his 10-year old son, Godwin, to continue this beautiful work. He says, “I only make small money so I think he will be better off learning computer skills, but I will still try to train him”. We are grateful for the opportunity to help keep this craft alive.
Happy Vendors Milestone
Happy Vendors began as five individual women selling porridge on the beach to the same group of fishermen that the Dunenyo cooperative was selling to. Unfortunately, this was not a high income generator and they were subject to an uncertain income. However, by grouping together they became one of the most successful cooperatives we have, landing a contract with the local primary school as the sole providers of the student’s lunch.
Now, with a mission of providing a healthy and balanced meal to the children of the community, each member successfully paid back their first loan and obtained a higher second one. This group was so successful that one member, Margaret, was able to save five times more than the compulsory savings requirement even after suffering some complications during her pregnancy at the end of the first loan cycle.
Margaret and Sefakor
Featured Client Susana Tettey
As Susana Tettey, or “Mdme Susana”, as she likes to be called, sets up for her work night, she starts by telling us how excited she is about our loan program in Atorkor. She has previously accessed loans given by money lenders who charged her 20 percent interest monthly and is now thrilled to be able to access business capital at reasonable rates. She plans to use her loan of GHC 200 (about $136) to buy a canopy that she can use as shade for her customers.
Madame Susana runs a “sit-in fast food” bench in front of one the big landmarks in the village, the Okudzeto Memorial. She sells rice, noodles, stew and boiled eggs. She started with a simple clear plastic box that showcased single portion bags of rice and stew that she effortlessly carried on top of her head at the beach. Today, Susy owns three benches, two large cooking pots and plenty plastic ware to serve her hungry customers. Moreover, she has been able to use her profits to send her two sons, David (10) and Courage (6) to a private primary school. Her youngest daughter Clarity (6 months), is one of the happiest babies one can find who goes around stealing hearts by showing her “sniff-sniff” face. Clarity is a breath of fresh air to Susy, helping her overcome the loss of her 13-year old first born daughter four years ago. After the accident, Susy dedicated herself to her two boys and to work very hard to provide them with all the opportunities her beloved Beauty will never have. After her first 26 week loan cycle is completed, Susy will be able to apply for a larger loan amount to keep growing her business. We are really excited to see how Susy uses Lumana funding to become a “chop bar” (restaurant) owner in the next 3 years.
Featured Client Ellen Adjorlolo
Ellen has been a client to Lumana since Pilot I in 2008, her payment record is impeccable and her savings fund is fast growing. As a natural leader Ellen emerged as the manager for the group since the beginning and are so proud to see how well Ellen is doing for herself. As a single mother of five, Ellen is not only an expert in home economics but also very good at her sewing occupation. Although she loves designing and sewing, Ellen decided that she will invest part on the funds of the second loan cycle on a provisions business, given that the sewing occupation was proving slow. We visited Ellen at her stand at the Keta market, and business was running as fast as ever. She also invited us to her house, a nice-well lighten residence behind the Atorkor School, her house hosts all her children and her extended family.
Ellen also belongs to a savings group, one that has been working together since 1988, talk about commitment! Through her savings she has been able to send her two older children to secondary school and is now on her way to send off her third child. Lumana loans mean that she can manage her business better to us it as a tool to improve the life of her, her kids and her extended family.
Featured Client Justine Kudese
Meet Justine Kudese of the Unity Is Strength cooperative. She first came to Lumana in 2008 as part of a group of 3 women who were operating a fishmongering business. Now, after successfully repaying her first loan she has taken out another to continue improving her business.
Justine is an amazing asset to her group. She acts as the secretary during each weekly meeting, recording each person’s payment to their savings account and taking the minutes. Earlier this year, a storm washed away her home and she said that without the business training classes that Lumana provided, she would never have been able to keep track of her expenses and profits. This enabled her to have a successful business which enabled her to build a new home for herself.