Many in Burundi live in extreme poverty and have to work hard just to survive. Today, we’re spotlighting two incredible young women who are working to provide for their families and how the work of Greenland Alliance has lightened their burdens and given hope for the future.

Claudine

Claudine (pictured above) is just 18, and she lost her mother at a tender age. As a result, she has grown up playing the role of mother to her four siblings as she supports her father. As you can imagine, in rural Burundi with limited opportunities, they have to work extremely hard to make ends meet. 

Claudine joined a solidarity group operated by Greenland Alliance. Many girls from poor families in Burundi miss out on education. In this group, they learn business skills and how to manage money, which was a revelation to Claudine: “The training we got from Greenland Alliance opened my eyes.” She felt empowered to tackle the problems with fresh zeal.

The group also acts as a savings club, meaning that members contribute a small amount of money each week and gain access to apply for low-interest loans, which enable them to make larger purchases without having to worry about cash flow and getting into debt.

Claudine took out a loan of just £7 / $8.50, which enabled her to buy a goat. Goats are easy to look after, eat almost anything, produce milk and manure, and reproduce quickly. And reproduce is exactly what Claudine’s goat did! She is proud that her goat is becoming a beautiful Nanny! With profits from the goat, Claudine has already repaid the loan. She is hoping to take out another loan soon to buy a cow. 

With just a small hand-up, the possibilities for Claudine and the family have opened up!

Sofia

28-year-old Sofia from Gitega Province is married with four children and was living in extreme poverty, unable to meet her family’s needs. However, when she joined the Greenland Alliance solidarity group, they granted her a small credit of £8/$10, which was enough to enable her to start a small business buying bananas and selling banana puree. 

She quickly paid back the entire loan and found herself with £17/$21.  With the additional credit, she bought a pig. The income she now earns from the banana puree means she can afford food for the pig.  Very soon, she plans to increase the number of pigs she has, and also intends to start a small shop selling soap and body lotion.

Sofia is so grateful to Green Land Alliance. With a very small loan, and the coaching and training she has received through the self-help group, she now has the means to support herself and her children, and her life has been transformed.

For under £20, two lives have been changed. But the impact is wider than that – two families who can each afford to send their four children to school means better opportunities for the next generation. A small investment in these savings groups can yield a massive long-term return!

If you’d like to support people like Sofia and Claudine with a gift of a goat, pig or something else, check out our alternative gifts!