Fadia

Thank you for your loan. It has been disbursed to Fadia Matar by Al Majmoua- Lebanese Association for Dev in Lebanon. We are excited to watch this business grow. Over the next 8 months, Al Majmoua- Lebanese Association for Dev will be collecting repayments from this entrepreneur and posting progress updates on the Kiva website.

High up a dirt road in the Metn Mountain Range, Fadia makes and sells small handicrafts from her home. All of her work is intricately designed, as she uses crochet and other sewing techniques to fabricate beautiful jewel-encrusted cloth for pillows and table coverings. While business today is steady, Fadia explained to us that during the spring hostilities in Lebanon between rival confessions, many people in her village were not able to spend money on her products. Although fighting did not center in the mountains, many of the men from the village had to leave for extended periods, and as a result, business slowed. Fadia’s last loan of $700 was paid back in full and on time, although Fadia explained to us that her husband had to help her make some of her payments. Fadia said that most of the money from the loan was used to purchase some new furniture for the family’s living room. The remainder of the money Fadia put in her own bank account, separate from her shared finances with her husband. Fadia explained that it was extremely important for her to have this separate account, as it gave her a significant amount of independence. Her husband has been very supportive of her work and her ability to keep her own finances, and has helped her make loan payments when sales from her business has not been sufficient. When I asked Fadia if she was able to make a profit from interest on the portion of the loan money she kept in the bank, she replied that she did not take interest rates which she either received from the bank or paid to Al Majmoua into account—she noted that it is much more important for her to be able to have spending money when she needs it, rather than always relying on her husband’s income. Fadia is grateful for this opportunity, and looks forward toward taking out another loan in the near future.

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