Meet the Victoire group, its 27 members all live on the outskirts of Lomé. The group comprises of twenty seven members, 24 women and 3 men, ranging in age from 25 to 67.

They decided to form a community group which would make them eligible to apply for individual loans. Each loan will help them to grow their small businesses and give them the chance to fulfil their dreams and become successful entrepreneurs.

Prior to receiving their loans, the community group attend business training workshops on subjects like managing their income and customer service. They also attend workshops where they learn about social issues such as gender equality and family planning.

Every member of the group has their own small business, some sell charcoal, some sell shoes, others sell condiments or homegrown vegetables.

Obuidé is a young hairdresser who would like to use her loan to buy hairpieces for her clients and dreams of opening her own salon one day.

Meet Ayawo Ezian who, at 67, is the oldest member of Victoire. She is married to a farmer and they have seven children to support. She grows vegetables to sell and would use a loan to buy more seeds and fertiliser to improve her crop yields. She said that she wants to improve the standard of living for her family and to give her children a better future.

Afi Ahonga is married to a mechanic. She is 31 and has three children aged 8, 4 and 1, two of whom attend school. Afi is a seamstress, she makes dresses and shirts and sells ‘pagnés’ (the lengths of cloth worn around the waist). Her plans are to use the loan to diversify her business and expand the haberdashery, buying buttons, zips and a new stock of ‘pagnés’.

Help Victoire to work their way out of the cycle of poverty.