The Story of Tobias Ogot
This ramshackle hut might not look like much, but for Tobias Ogot it has brought him great prosperity and hope!
Come on in and have a seat, and get your hair trimmed clean and neat!
Tobias received a loan from Lalmba's microfinance program several years ago to open his barber shop. He purchased hair clippers, a solar panel, a battery for storing electricity (he needs electricity to run his clippers!), and the materials to build his shop. Since the shop's opening, he has repaid 100% of his loan and his business continues to grow. It has grown so much that he trained and now employs 2 other villagers who were eager to learn a new trade. With 1 microfinance loan, Tobias has brought himself and 2 others out of extreme poverty!
Matoso, Kenya
Oh, the beauty of microfinance! It doesn't just help 1 person out of poverty, but it spreads and improves an entire community 1 loan at a time. When Tobias is not working in his shop, he's working his farm on land that he purchased from the shop's profits. He is also able to buy school uniforms, books and pay the school fees for his 5 children. I wonder what bright futures await these children, who now can go to school thanks to their father's tin hut barber shop? What a success story! When asked what he would have done without the loan, he smiled and said, "I don't know, but I do know that my life now is very happy! In the future I hope to save enough to open another shop in a nearby village."
May Tobias' tin hut barber shop, hopeful spirit and work ethic inspire us all!
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