Rose holding some of the produce that she sells to sustain herself and family, thanks to a micro-loan

Dear Friends,

“My business is my husband,” Rose told me when I met the 56-year-old widow in Kisumu, Kenya, a few months ago. I’ve heard about workaholics being “married” to their jobs before, but with Rose it was different.

Rose became a widow 19 years ago, and she has struggled ever since to survive on her own. In 2010 her pastor, also a Heaven’s Family micro-banker, loaned her $62 to start a wholesale fruit and vegetable business. Each morning Rose supplies retailers with avocados, tomatoes, potatoes, bananas and grains at her usual 70-100% markup.

Having successfully paid off her first two loans, Rose wants to borrow again, but this time for a home dairy business with chickens and goats. “I need something to do in my spare time,” she told me.

Rose isn’t working hard to save for a cushy retirement, or to indulge in some faddish grownup toy. More simply, Rose just wants to eke out a living for herself, as well as a grandchild and two orphans who live with her.

I’m excited about helping godly women like Rose become success stories, and I’m thankful for partners like you who made Rose’s story possible!

May the Lord continue to bless you,

Peter Wray
Director, Widows & Abandoned Women Fund