We believe that hope has the power to inspire women to change their lives for the better and that opportunity can turn that hope into reality. This is why:

Lorna lives in Kenya, where she takes care of her 5 children by herself. Home is a 1-room mud hut with iron sheets for a roof. They eat two meals a day, consisting mainly of maize and when possible, vegetables. She shares a bed and blanket with her baby and twins, while her two older children sleep on mats on the mud floor of their home. Lorna’s biggest fear is always whether or not she can ensure her children are fed.

Lorna Hoping 1

With a microloan from CMMB, she purchased a donkey that changed her family’s life. Lorna has a business delivering and selling water to her neighbors and she is now able to generate an income.

She is hopeful that with the income from her business, her children will never go hungry and that she will be able to pay school fees. She is hopeful that education will help them break the cycle of poverty.

“I am my own boss. Now, my children will not go hungry.”

The evidence shows that “by increasing the share of household income controlled by women, either through their own earnings or cash transfers, changes spending in ways that benefit children” (source: The World Bank, 2012). Through microloans and other empowerment programs supported by CMMB, we are helping women, like Lorna, realize their hopes.