Micro loans are an effective way for borrowers [mostly women] to become independent entrepreneurs, according to the MicroBanking Bulletin. Most of these women tend to be self-employed and use micro loans to start household-based businesses. In some cases, they use skills they already have, that may not require additional education.
This is often the case for applicants who come to Parwaz. There is not a lot of additional training needed to get a small business started, and a micro business allows women the added advantage of working independently at home while still caring for their children, as in the case of Shahnaz. They no longer have to rely on relatives or neighbors and they can avoid becoming indebted to moneylenders charging high amounts of interest.
The program is successful and has continually inspired Katrin. She says, “When I see a client that had nothing just six months prior to getting a loan and over time has started to send her children to school again, has more respect from her family and husband in particular, has been able to buy some items for herself and her house, and above all has confidence, that is what inspires me to stay and continue my work in Afghanistan. No woman has ever been able to fight for her rights from a position of hunger and oppression. It is only when they gain a measure of economic independence that they gain confidence they can speak and fight from a position of power and strength.”
The opportunity to start a micro business affords women the freedom and ability to stand on their own. The most satisfying part of Katrin’s job? She puts it quite simply, “Knowing that I have helped a woman start a new life and stand on her own two feet.”
