Koumia Agambia, 39 lives in Lomè, Togo with her husband and three children, two of whom are now at school. She ran a small market stall to make ends meet. When her uncle fell sick, she had to pay for his medical expenses. This wasn’t something she had foreseen or able to prepare for, and has been one of the biggest challenges she encountered financially.   

Through the credit officer at IADES  (Institution D’Aide Au Developpement Economique Et Social), Deki’s field partner, Koumia learned the importance of savings during an outreach meeting, and following the meeting she managed to save 9,000 XOF (approx. £12). This training, and the savings she was able to put aside enabled her to take out her first push up loan from Deki. Push-up loans are designed to  help entrepreneurs get their first experience with a financial product. These loans are very small (typically under £30) and are provided interest free. This helps entrepreneurs, many of whom have no experience with any financial products, to learn about loans, repayments and key business skills. Once repaid, they can access larger loans through their community groups which will have a lasting impact on their business and overall financial resilience.

She is part of a community savings group called Assiko – the group members aim to support each other within their community. Once their group have reached their target from Deki sponsors, the microloans were distributed by our field partner IADES, to help the entrepreneurs’ business ventures grow and prosper.