The Saria Family
Halima Salim Saria, mother of four children, has been able to greatly improve the lives of her family since the loan term began. With the loans, she has opened up a small scale shop which has provided enough income to significantly raise the family’s standard of living. She hopes to eventually grow the small business to a larger scale and to expand the family’s household possessions. Not only can she now afford to send her children to school without struggling to pay school fees, but she can also assist other family members in need. One of the family’s greatest improvements was the new house that Halima and her husband were able to build. Halima’s husband is extremely supportive of Halima receiving the loans and he expressed genuine gratitude to CHOICE for extending credit for his wife’s business venture.
Ali Juma, 12 years old, is the oldest of Halima’s four children. He is currently in 4th grade and claims that English is his favorite subject in school. Ali Juma looks up to his father, his hero. He is an active young boy, who loves to play soccer with his friends. He also has a clear vision of his future with wonderful aspirations. When he grows up, he would like to become a pilot and raise a family with four children. Ali Juma is lucky that his mother cares so deeply about his and his sibling’s education. She would like to give them the highest standard of education, which will go a long way with helping Ali Juma make his dreams a reality.
Halima’s second oldest child, Salim Juma, is currently 8 years old. He, like his big brother, also looks up to his father. He wants to follow in his father’s footsteps, by marrying and having children when he grows up. Salim Juma is in 1st grade, and he loves studying Swahili.
Seleman Juma, 6 years old, is Halima’s third child. He is not yet attending school, but still has high aspirations of becoming a doctor when he grows up! Seleman Juma’s hero is his uncle because his uncle has a high standard of living. Seleman, at such a young age, still sees that value in having a more comfortable living standard. He is lucky that his mother has been able to increase his family’s standard of living since receiving the microcredit loans. The tremendous value of microcredit is evident from the story of the Saria family. Without microcredit loans, Halima would still be struggling to pay school fees and buy basic household necessities. Now, her aspirations are higher than ever before. Instead of just providing the basic necessities for her children, she hopes to grow her businesses and provide a high standard of living for her family.