Fryal's Group's story

Fryal is a 35-year-old Iraqi woman who is raising her child alone since her divorce. She is an independent, strong woman, but with limited career options due to cultural restrictions and domestic constraints, she is one of the many Iraqi women who are working from home, using her sewing skills to generate some income and participate in meeting the financial needs of her family. She has six years' experience in making custom-ordered dresses and small fabric household items. She would like to offer new products, create products with unique designs for her customers, and give them improved quality products. She has decided to purchase an overlock sewing machine, an iron, and quality fabrics and raw materials for the little business. To be able to make these purchases, she took a loan from Relief International - Microfinance Iraq. Relief International - Microfinance Iraq offers group loans for clients unable to provide a guarantor and thereby unable to apply for a loan as an individual. As a group, the members collectively guarantee the loan. Groups consist of three to five clients and each client is evaluated on his or her repayment capacity. All group members receive the same loan amount as the individual with the lowest repayment capacity in the group. Based on the political and social challenges of lending in Iraq, personally identifiable information about these borrowers has been altered for their protection. RI-Iraq appreciates Kiva lenders' consideration of these challenges and encourages lenders to continue their support for Iraqi borrowers.