Meet Aye Aye Tan
A series of micro loans and a lot of hard work have enabled Aye Aye Tan to transform her life, through building a successful business, a more secure home, and being better able to support her children.
Currently on her sixth micro loan from our project partner ZMF Bank in Myanmar, Aye Aye Tan has been able to invest in her weaving enterprise that she operates with her husband, to diversify their product lines and increase productivity by purchasing greater quantities of raw materials.
Currently on her sixth micro loan from our project partner ZMF Bank in Myanmar, Aye Aye Tan has been able to invest in her weaving enterprise that she operates with her husband, to diversify their product lines and increase productivity by purchasing greater quantities of raw materials.
Brooms are the specialty, but Aye Aye Tan says that the loans have enabled them to diversify into making mats, carpets and selling mosquito nets.
She and her husband buy large bundles of dry grass during the dry season and spend the following months weaving brooms to sell to local shops. The most productive time is when it rains, as most of the time is spent indoors. During this time she says she can make as many as 50 brooms per day, depending on the type she is making. Her small team will make around 30,000 brooms this season and she says she can expect to triple her initial investment.
She and her husband buy large bundles of dry grass during the dry season and spend the following months weaving brooms to sell to local shops. The most productive time is when it rains, as most of the time is spent indoors. During this time she says she can make as many as 50 brooms per day, depending on the type she is making. Her small team will make around 30,000 brooms this season and she says she can expect to triple her initial investment.
Before becoming a ZMF client, Aye Aye Tan says it was almost impossible to make a profit. Because she had no capital, she was unable to invest in the weaving inputs she needed and was forced to borrow either from moneylenders who required her to make daily repayments - or through buying the dry grass she needed on credit. The hard work she put in each day was mostly being realised by someone else, and the small amount of profit she was able to make was used to buy food for her family.
Now, with the same amount of hard work she is able to grow her business and improve life for her family. Since her house was flooded in 2015, she has been able to make significant improvements and repairs to the house. Her small team will make around 30,000 brooms this season and she says she can expect to triple her initial investment.
Now, with the same amount of hard work she is able to grow her business and improve life for her family. Since her house was flooded in 2015, she has been able to make significant improvements and repairs to the house. Her small team will make around 30,000 brooms this season and she says she can expect to triple her initial investment.
