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LAPO Has Made A Good Impact In My Life

Doris Aizenora
40 years old Mrs. Doris Aizenoria is the leader of Ekpon I Union of LAPO, Uromi Branch, Edo State. This Igbo woman is married to Mr. Lawrence Aizenoria, an Esan by tribe. The family is blessed with five children, a male and four females.

Born into the family of Mr. Thomas Obiaka and Mrs. Agnes Obiaka, hers was a happy childhood. She was one of the fortunate females who were given education at a time and in an environment where female education was considered a waste of time and resources. On completion of her secondary school, she says, ?I studied catering which was what I wanted to do? thereafter she got married in 1990 to her husband Mr. Lawrence Aizenoria. She continues ?with the support of my husband, I started a restaurant business same year (1990) involving, baking, frying and cooking food for sale.?

Since she already had a business, why did she join LAPO? ?The money my husband gave me was not enough. I had a small capital with which I was selling buns, fish pie, chin-chin, egg roll and cooked food. My family depended on this for it's feeding. My capital was small and we were eating up every little profit and more! Outside this, I could not afford to buy, cook and eat any particular food we desired. My monthly income was roughly N2000. We owed school fees and could not buy our children's text books. We were living in a rented two-room apartment, the rents of which were sometimes difficult to pay. There was need to source for additional funds.?

At was at this to point that Doris Aizenoria was introduced to LAPO by one of her husband's friends in February 2000. This man gave her information about LAPO, which not only encouraged her, but also allayed any fears, she would otherwise have entertained.

Not wasting time, she made her first contact with LAPO on February 16th 2000. This date she says she remembers because to her, it marked the turning point in her fortunes.

Immediately after pre loan training for six weeks she got her first loan of N5000 which she plunged into her business. Other loan sizes were N10, 000, N15, 000, N20, 000, N25, 000 and N30, 000, the sixth stage loan that she is currently. In her words ?with the initial loan from LAPO, my capital base increased by N5000 and I was able to expand my restaurant business by buying and selling more food. With subsequent loans I bought a refrigerator and was able to move into the sale of soft drinks, pure water and ice block. I am now able to buy perishable items such as fresh vegetable and meat and preserve in the refrigerator as well as preserve cooked but unsold food items. My sales per day increased from N500 in 1990 to N3500 with my profit increasing from N100 to N1, 200 daily.? How has this increase in volume of business and profits affected her life? She is full of smiles as she explains ?we are now able to pay our children's school fees and buy their books, we are able to eat what we want and pay our rents as and when due.? This has made her more comfortable. The impact of LAPO on her life is responsible for her husband becoming a member of the farmers union. This she says testifies to his satisfaction and happiness about her progress.

The Aizenoria family resides at No 38 Mission Road by Idumeko junction, Ekpon. This is also the location of the business. Throwing more light on her contribution to the family upkeep she says ?I keep a joint account with my husband and participate in planning the family's expense account. From my profits, which I keep in the joint account, I contribute to the feeding of the family, purchase of children's cloths, books and payment of school fees. I have a business that helps to sustain my family.?

What plans does she have for the future? I want to build a house and have more space and warehouse for my business. She has no plans of changing her business or leaving LAPO an organisation she scores highly. ?The activities of LAPO are satisfactory and are helping to ease the strains of poverty. I score LAPO 95% in its efforts at lifting the poor out of poverty. This sentiment is echoed by her husband Mr. Lawrence Aizenoria who affirms, ?I am happy that my wife and myself are members of LAPO. LAPO has enhanced my family's financial capacity.?

The mode of repayment of LAPO loans, which are installmental, has contributed to its success. As Mrs. Aizenoria puts it ?I have never defaulted in my loan repayment. I believe the period of installmental repayment is adequate.? If she were to advise LAPO, what would she say? ?Ensure that our loans reach us in Ekpon and all other unions on time. LAPO could also extend the loan duration from 8 to 12 months.? Finally she says LAPO should open vocational centers in its areas of operations. This is not surprising, considering her vocation.

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