Our Impact

Clients Speak

The success of Wasasa is mainly measured by the success of our clients. Since its establishment and it started providing financial services, there are many success stories that we have been observing in the business and living conditions our clients. Most of our clients are located in remote rural areas where access to different services (financial and non-financial) is very limited. As a result, the majority of the people in these areas are exposed to the elements that result to end up in poverty. Also, our urban and semi-urban clients are suffering from many challenges like lack of employment, price fluctuation, lack of start-up capital, means of subsistence, high inflation, and the like.

Though we need that all of our clients would be entrepreneurs, it couldn’t be practical. Therefore, if some of our clients use our financial services for subsistence until opportunities in their favour, we also consider it as a successful contribution.

Though we have not made thorough impact study to tell how many of our clients have recorded such successes, we are now sharing with you below the success stories of few of our clients.

AregashDadi,a widow, now 68, and living in Dukem town, after the death of her husband, who was the bread winner, many things started to negatively change her life. The family assets started depleting; her house got older and older and started falling. Her farm land has gone because of the expansion of urbanization. As a result she started to involve in a livelihood activities that she might not participate in had it been during her previous economic level. It was at this critical time, before 12 years that Wasasa started its operations in the area and she heard about it. She initially borrowed 500 Birr and started doing a business in a small mud constructed a house. In the subsequent two cycles, she bought a dairy cow and horse- pulled cart to give transportation service in the rural areas. On the fourth cycle she bought a television to show football matches for rural youngsters with 0.25 cents payment per match per person. From the fifth cycle onwards, in addition to constructing her own beautiful living house, she gradually started constructing rooms in her compound for rent. She has been with Wasasa for the last 12 years and she constructed 28 rooms that she is currently renting for about 4000.00 Birr per month. She is now month smoothly leading her life with a clear plan to diversify her activities to other business that can employ additional people managed by her and her families.

AlganshMogese, 40, and a mother of three, is living in Tulubolo, South West Showa Zone. She has been very active since her childhood to get better means of subsistence. But life is not to her expectation and she faced a lot of challenges. She said “friends of mine who know my problem informed and advised me to go to Wasasa Microfinance. That was how I heard about it and took loan for the first time”. She took 5000.00 Birr loan in the first cycle to open a small restaurant for the low income target group. She said “I had nothing on my hand when I started this business before five years. It was only the loan I got from Wasasa. If I didn’t get that loan, I was to sale my house and house equipments and leave the area. Thanks to Wasasa’s staff. In addition to facilitating the loan, they gave me a lot of advices.” Alganesh now changed the location of her restaurant to the roadside where it can be visited by many customers and also its quality. It started attracting more and more customers. She is also planning to expand and improve it more. She said “Now I have ten employees. I started saving at bank. I also deposit 1000.00 Birr per week in ‘Iqub’. I monthly pay 2500.00 Birr for loan repayment to Wasasa. God knows; I am serious and hardworking, I don’t have spare-time to waste with friends and neighbours, I am proud of my hardworking culture, and my children know this. I don’t have any bad habit like drinking alcohol, smoking, and others. I want to be exemplary to my children in all aspects. My elder son, who recently graduated from university, was telling me that I am his hero as has learnt many things from my life experiences. I am happy with that.”

Tsegaye Lemma, 43, and a father of two, currently living in Teji town used to work as an employee of an individual who owns a woodwork workshop. After sometime, due to a disagreement with his employer, he resigned from his job without having enough preparation to manage his and his family’s life. Although he has the skill and experience of doing similar activities, he didn’t have working tools(equipments) and raw materials to start his own business. That was when he decided to come to Wasasa before seven years to get loan. Initially, he took a loan of 2,000.00 Birr which he used for buying some basic tools and some raw materials that would help him in manufacturing wood and metal furniture and equipments. Since then he has been taking more and more loan sizes for the purchase of different machineries and equipments. He produces different office and household furniture from metal and wood for individuals and institutions. From time to time the number of his customers is increasing. Recently he took 40,000.00 Birr loan from Wasasa to expand his business. As his business is growing fast, his income is increasing and he started regular savings from his earnings. In addition to his business’s growth, he is sending his children to a better school with the necessary materials. He says “It is not asset and money that I want to inherit to my children. There are children from richer families and involved in dishonourable things and wasting their time unnecessarily. At the same time there are children from poorer families and making a lot of efforts to change their situations. Therefore, money is not the only determinant factor bring up your children properly unless they are not also wise. For that reason I would like to support my children in getting them good education.”

Zewde Banteyirga, 68, currently living in Dukem, as ameans of livelihood for her family, she is baking and selling‘Injera’, a staple food in Ethiopia, to individuals at a very small scale. With intention of expanding her business and diversifying it, she came to Wasasa Microfinance with other group members before twelve years and borrowed 500.00 Birr for initially. Progressively, with the expansion of her existing business and increase of her loan size, she bought exotic breed dairy cows in which after some time she started producing and selling of milk as additional source of income. At the same time, her ‘Injera’ business has grown to distributing to a number of hotels, restaurants, and individuals in the area. Recently, she took a loan of 26,000.00 from Wasasa from which 6000.00 Birr is for the installation of biogas technology and the remaining 20,000.00 for a renewal of shade of cows and purchase of grain to produce ‘Injera’. As a result of the diversified income, there are a number of direct and indirect positive impacts on her and her families’ life. She developed strong financial position than what she used to be. She constructed a very nice living house, started using biogas as additional source of energy, and a member of milk producers association. Now her monthly income is increasing substantially and it allowed her to feed 15 people living with her; family and employees, she is regularly paying the loan from Wasasa and at the same time she is regularly depositing, and she is working with six employees earning a monthly salary ranging from 250-400 Birr.