Mwiya Namwaka, Zambia

Meet Mwiya Namwaka, she is 37 years old and belongs to the Twikatane women’s group, Zambia. Twikatane means “let’s work together”.

Mwiya lives with her husband and three children in a rented house in Kafue. After dropping out of school in grade 9, Mwiya had her first child at 20 and the family struggled to make ends meet. She joined MicroLoan over a year ago, starting with a loan of ZMK700.00 (£58). Mwiya has expanded her business selling fish.

The loan has enabled her to go to the harbour and cut out the middle men, meaning she can make more profit and she’s now earning at least ZMK400 (£33) a week.

Mwiya said: “Thank you for providing us with good services, may you continue. I plan on expanding my business and buying a plot for my children using my business profits.”