USAID helps Yemen’s Al Tadamon Bank adopt new strategies for extending loans to small- and medium-sized enterprises and works with small business owners to help them secure the financing they need to be more competitive and successful.
For Eman Ali Ahmad, who lives in a remote part of Al Hosen, Yemen, her access to finance has been life-changing. Previously, she leased out her farmland and barely supported her household of eight women and children. Now, thanks to the program’s training and technical assistance, she has installed a solar-powered irrigation system, expanded the land’s productivity, and taken over its management.
“It’s a wonderful feeling to be independent and able to control your own life,” she said.
The farm is now functioning profitably. “Eman is now a role model and inspiration for all the women in her area,” said Entsar Sarti, who manages the bank branch that worked with Ms. Ahmad. “She is living proof that you can be productive and a head of household, that you don’t have to be dependent on a man, even in a conservative community.”
USAID/ERLP