An Entrepreneur from the Dry Zone: Case #2

Daw Win Tin's husband beamed when he heard her plan to get back the three acres of land that they mortgaged three years ago: She would sell her three pigs and piglets for about 200,000 Kyats. Daw Win Tin had invested in a pig-raising business and expanded a salad shop with two loans she received through participation in Pact's microfinance program. She explained to her husband that she would soon receive a third loan in the amount 40,000 Kyats and that she was also determined to apply for Pact's small enterprise development loan that would allow her to access a further 120,000 Kyats. This expected income would allow her to re-invest in their pig-raising enterprise. In the meantime, the family could afford to get back their land and invest the remaining money in expanding the salad shop. Daw Win Tin was convinced that the expanded salad shop would be able to sustain the family in the future.

Daw Win Tin is a member of the Village Credit Organization #1 in the Nat Kan village in Magway township. Before she began participating in the microfinance program, Daw Win Tin struggled with her husband to meet the daily needs of their family of seven. She sold "Toe Hu Thote" (bean-paste salad) "Pae Pyoke" (boiled beans), while her husband farmed their remaining two acres of land. Their five daughters either assisted their mother in the salad shop or worked as day laborers to earn additional income for the family.

After joining Pact's microfinance project, Daw Win Tin received an initial loan of 10,000 Kyats in January 1999. She invested that money in the expansion of her salad shop by adding beetles, cheroots, cigarettes and some snacks. In December 1999 she received 20,000 Kyats in a second loan. She further invested in expanding her shop and bought a piglet for 5,500 Kyats. The pig subsequently gave birth to litters of ten, eight and five piglets. Daw Win Tin was determined to sell her pigs to get the cash necessary to get back her family's three acres of land, expand her salad shop, and renovate their thatched-roof dwelling.

As planned, Daw Win Tin got her third loan in the amount of 40,000 Kyats in December 2001. She again expanded her shop to include household items. In May 2002, she received a small enterprise loan in the amount of 120,000 Kyats and started a pig raising business again.

Now Daw Win Tin owns four pigs and seventeen piglets and a relatively large grocery shop. The pig business is worth more than 200,000 Kyats. She has started buying materials to roof the family house, and she is still thinking about how to further expand her business. In the near future she plans to invest in pig feed distribution. As a livestock breeder herself, she is convinced she has a good understanding of the needs of livestock breeders in hers and the surrounding villages. She also plans to further expand her shop to sell everything a rural household might need. The following table shows the increase in Daw Win Tin family assets over the three years she has been with the microfinance program.