Original Story Published by: Christin Roby for devex
Photo Source: ©Lalmch /CC0
(Above) Stack of coins.
ABIDJAN — Jacqueline Muhimpundu, a former fabric seller in Burundi, fled the country in April 2015 after a contested presidential election sparked violence. Forced to rebuild a life for her family, she relocated to nearby Kigali, Rwanda, and began making liquid soap in her modest two-bedroom home: one room for sleeping, the other for soap production.
Later that year, a friend told Muhimpundu of a program offering business-skills training and loans to refugee entrepreneurs.
After reviewing her business, the African Entrepreneur Collective awarded Muhimpundu a loan for 5 million Rwandan francs ($5,600) in March 2017, which she used to legally register her business, hire five staff, rent a production space, and purchase equipment to increase production. Muhimpundu finished repaying her loan in November 2018.
“When I received the loan, initially it was a bit hard to pay back,” she admitted. “I had some delays as I juggled to pay for other expenses that came along as the business grew, but I kept up with my monthly payments.”
Now, Muhimpundu averages a monthly revenue of 3 million Rwandan francs ($3,375) per month, half of which she keeps as profit. The 35-year-old plans to hire more staff by next year and expand the business beyond Kigali.
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