Saifullaeva Matlyuba
Saifullaeva Matlyuba was a typical Uzbekistan woman when it came to
finances: her husband was the main wage earner and she was responsible for the
home and family, supplementing their income with a small salary earned as a
kindergarten nurse. That changed one evening when her husband was struck by a
car and seriously injured.
No longer able to perform the physical labor required of his construction
job, he accepted a lower paying job. Matlyuba needed to find a way to earn
money.
With limited job options, Matlyuba decided to sell fruit and vegetables in Bukhara's Bazaar. She
needed only 20,000 soums (US$20) to start, but ran out of money. Relatives and
neighbors weren't able to help, and the local bank wasn't interested in funding
a business so small. Matlyuba learned from a neighbor about Umid Credit Union,
where she received a business loan.
After difficulties at the start, monthly sales soon
totaled one million soums (US$1,000). She later was able to purchase a small
piece of land (with a second credit union loan), allowing her to grow her own
produce. Today, Matlyuba also raises cattle on her farm and has money invested
in a village sewing workshop that provides income to 12 women. Back
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