Kurbonjon Eshkulova

Thank you for your loan. It has been disbursed to Kurbonjon Eshkulova by MLF MicroInvest-Tajikistan in Tajikistan. We are excited to watch this business grow. Over the next 8 months, MLF MicroInvest-Tajikistan will be collecting repayments from this entrepreneur and posting progress updates on the Kiva website.

I stopped by to visit with Kurbonjon today at her place of business in the bazaar. She is here every day selling the candies and cookies she purchases in Khujand.

With over 9 years experience selling sweets, she says she enjoys her work and makes a sufficient income. When asked if she had plans to expand her business she said, "I have enough and the time I have left I want to spend with my family." She thanked her Kiva lenders for funding her loan and says it has greatly helped to sustain her business.

Thank you for supporting an entrepreneur in Tajikistan.

I'm excited to be writing you as the Kiva Fellow in northern Tajikistan. For the last few months, I have been working with Kiva's Field Partner, MLF MicroInvest visiting many Kiva entrepreneurs.

As you may know, all entrepreneur profiles on Kiva's website are posted by local Field Partners (microfinance institutions) like MicroInvest, which are organizations which lend to those without easy access to credit for purposes of sustaining or growing their businesses. In my time here I have had the opportunity to get to know MicroInvest's staff and its clients. Its ultimate mission is to enable its borrowers to achieve self-sufficiency through the development of their businesses.

But from what I have seen in my time here, MicroInvest's work isn't just about issuing loans. They also create a long-lasting, collaborative relationship with each client to address their financial needs and improve the household's standard of living.

One such relationship is with Oishahon who sells vegetables and herbs in the Isfara market. I met with her recently and she talked at length about her business. For the season she is stocking garlic, fennel, various teas, and hot peppers. The winter is a fairly slow time for green grocers and most of her business comes during the spring months.

We spent some time talking about her past career as a teacher of Tajik literature. She, like many others here, spoke fondly of Rudaki who was a poet in ancient Persia some 1,000 years ago. She also discussed her past career as a teacher of Tajik literature. She abandoned her teaching career back in 1991 when Tajikistan became independent from the USSR and salaries fell significantly. There are many other former teachers, doctors or factory workers here who have moved on to a business of their own as a means of sustaining themselves.

With customers hovering around her stand, I excused myself so she could conduct her business. She expressed her thanks to Kiva lenders and says her loan has allowed her to sustain her business through the lean winter months.

With over $1.3 million in loans to Kiva clients, MicroInvest serves many others like Oishahon throughout the country. From Kiva, MicroInvest and its borrowers, we thank you for supporting our work. To see support additional borrowers, please check:

http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&partner_id=101&status=fundRaising&sortBy=New+to+Old&_te=mj