SOLANGE
Solange lives in a small villange called Kigali, in Rwanda and owns a tailoring business. She couldn’t afford to keep her tailoring shop afloat and her three children in school, so she turned to Opportunity International. With the help of a loan and expert business training, she purchased machinery and materials to expand her business, which now includes wedding garment rentals. Solange can now afford to pay for education fees, not only for her own children, but also for her younger sister and teenage niece. Solange also supports both her parents and in-laws. She also now offers classes to women in her community, teaching them how to develop a retail business of their own. So far, she has taught about 70 people – six of whom she provided free tuition. She has hired some of them to work for her.
“The more money we borrowed, the more our business expanded,” Solange says. “Now we can get ourselves more of the things we need.”