Saidi Fatma Muhammadhasan

44 years old, is one of theASM clients. She and her family are IDPs who left their home as a result of the war with Armenia in 1991. They currently live in Immgulubayly as refugees from Agdam. Fatma has two children: a daughter of 15 and a son of 17. Both attend school while her husband is unemployed.

Fatma has completed a typing course and worked as a secretary for about 6 years in Agdam before the war. After moving to Imamgulubayly as a refugee, Fatma started a small business buying and selling clothes and food.

In May of 2002, she heard about Save the Children‘s CBLS program and decided to apply for a loan to expand her business. Fatma started with a loan of 450,000 Azm. She has continued taking loans and is currently on her 4th loan.

With the help of the loans, Fatma has also been able to buy a shop for her enterprise and increase the size of her stock. Before she used to walk around selling her goods in other villages which limited how much she could sell. With the last loan she bought cucumber seeds which she is growing to sell in her shop.

As her business has grown, she has involved the whole family. Now her husband helps her with the shop. For instance, her husband will run the shop while she goes to buy materials. This allows her to expand the business and increase the family income.

“After the loan I can also sell my goods on credit to poorer people as I have enough funds now. And with the increased income I am able to provide education to my children and I have bought some household items such as a television and some armchairs and other furniture. I am very happy to say that the ASM loan helped me to expand and sustain my business. I keep the whole family involved in this business and this is now our family business. I wish that this service becomes permanent, so that I and other people like me could benefit from your program.”