The death of a loved one always presents new difficulties in the lives of those affected.  For women in many parts of the world, the death of a husband is a particularly trying time.  Oftentimes, this loss can leave women in a vulnerable situation.

This is the situation in which we found Sabreya.  Sabreya is a woman from the small village of Abou Gherir, whose husband’s untimely passing left her as the sole provider for her two children: a young son and daughter.  As a woman with little schooling and no formal training herself, she had limited access to credit or the means to build capital for herself and her children.

On top of this, Sabreya’s two sisters in law were very young and without parents to care for them.  Without their brother, they had no longer had any immediate family on which they could depend. Seeing no alternative, Sabreya decided to take them in under her care, which only stretched the family’s finances even tighter.

At first, Sabreya and her family struggled to meet their daily needs, and their options seemed limited.  For an uneducated, single woman with four dependents, Sabreya’s situation seemed unlikely of improving.

And yet, she was full of ideas on how to improve their livelihoods.  A skilled seamstress, she wanted to put those skills towards a sewing enterprise, but she did not have the capital to start it.

Thanks to HANDS’ friends from across the US, Sabreya was given the opportunity to kick-start her entrepreneurial vision.  A HANDS sponsored microcredit program allowed Sabreya to get her business up and running.  Since starting, Sabreya has gone on to pay back her loan and has continued to grow her sewing microenterprise.  With the money gained from this, she can continue to send her children to school and provide for her sisters in law.

Access to credit has allowed Sabreya to emerge from a difficult situation and provided the means to support her family.

Here at HANDS, we’re so thankful for our generous donors who make possible transformative stories such as Sabreya’s.