Meet Ayea Ayea Myint
Ayea Ayea Myint lives in Kalaymyo, Myanmar, and is supporting nine children.
When Ayea’s sister passed away a number of years ago, her sister’s five children came to live with her. At this time, she was running a small tea shop, but the money she earned was not enough to support the children's education and provide them with enough food each day.
When Ayea’s sister passed away a number of years ago, her sister’s five children came to live with her. At this time, she was running a small tea shop, but the money she earned was not enough to support the children's education and provide them with enough food each day.
Ayea Ayea Myint supports her sister's children as well as her own
Ayea says that she is always positive, even in times of hardship. She knew that she would have to expand her business if she was to earn enough money for her family. She was forced to borrow from local moneylenders, but they required collateral as a deposit.
“I had to give up my only valuable possession, the gold necklace that I had been saving for emergencies. I felt very vulnerable.”
The interest rates on loans from local moneylenders can range anywhere from 5 to 20 percent per day. Despite having access to the capital, Ayea found the daily repayments at such high interest rates meant that she was still not earning enough to support her family.
Ayea had to find another, more affordable way to get capital to start improving her income and her family’s life. A small loan (around NZ$200) from ADC’s partner, ZMF Bank, enabled Ayea to purchase more equipment to expand her tea shop whilst paying back the loan in small manageable payments on a weekly basis.
“I had to give up my only valuable possession, the gold necklace that I had been saving for emergencies. I felt very vulnerable.”
The interest rates on loans from local moneylenders can range anywhere from 5 to 20 percent per day. Despite having access to the capital, Ayea found the daily repayments at such high interest rates meant that she was still not earning enough to support her family.
Ayea had to find another, more affordable way to get capital to start improving her income and her family’s life. A small loan (around NZ$200) from ADC’s partner, ZMF Bank, enabled Ayea to purchase more equipment to expand her tea shop whilst paying back the loan in small manageable payments on a weekly basis.
Ayea Ayea Myint runs a successful chicken farming business
Because the loan was used to invest in her business, Ayea saw her profits increase. With the capital from two subsequent loans, she has now started another tea shop in a different part of town and, most recently, a chicken farming business to increase her income further. She has a few hundred chickens and says she can make 20,000 kyat per day (NZ$20) when they are laying eggs and fully grown.
Ayea says that her proudest moment was when she was able to afford to send her eldest son to special education classes (around NZ$60 per month) as well as sending her other children to school. She says that access to capital from ZMF Bank has enabled her to plan a better future for her family.
“My dream is that my children will go to university. I never had the chance to go and I want to provide a better life for them.”
Ayea says that her proudest moment was when she was able to afford to send her eldest son to special education classes (around NZ$60 per month) as well as sending her other children to school. She says that access to capital from ZMF Bank has enabled her to plan a better future for her family.
“My dream is that my children will go to university. I never had the chance to go and I want to provide a better life for them.”
Ayea Ayea Myint has been able to send her children to school
