Select a LAPO Client Victoria Ajayi Elizabeth Batsone Virginia Etobe Victoria Ubebe Grace nwajei Doris Iwhiwhu Lucky Oghuvwe Martha Olulu Stella Ebuwa Cecilia Farumen Elizabeth Okafor Sarah Oziwele Patricia Onwubdonu Nkechi Okwudibie Doris Aizenora Eje Okpu Roseline Adamu Helen Igbinosa

LAPO Is Good

Stella Ebuwa
Her enthusiasm and excellent disposition throughout the period of the conversation is an indication that all is now well with Stella Ebuwa. ?LAPO is good,? she remarked as she settled down to comment on her experience as a member since 2001.

A widow, Stella hails from Edo State, Ogba village to be precise. She is in her forties and blessed with a number of children. She is solidly built and full of life. She is not given to laziness and this accounts for her success story. She courageously weathered through the storm in her bid to survive the harsh economic conditions prevalent in the society.

Now she beats her chest with pride. At least she does not beg for food anymore to be able to provide for the needs of the children left behind by her departed husband. She ascribes her success to LAPO, an organization she said has provided her with microcredit to establish and expand her poultry business.

As a young girl in Ogba village who naturally hated the drudgery of farm work, she had grown up with a profound love for western education and had hoped to leave the village someday to the adjoining city of Benin to pursue further studies. This dream was however short-lived. It faded away with the passing on of her father to the great beyond in 1968.

With no one else in sight to fund her education, she dropped out of school, ending her education only at primary level. She thereafter joined her mother in the farm in order to contribute towards the sustenance of the large family of twelve.

This was the kind of situation she found herself at the time she called it quit with spinsterhood. She later got married to Mr. Ebuwa.

As her family began to increase steadily in size, it became pretty difficult for her husband's income to effectively meet the family needs. She was no longer comfortable with just being a full time housewife. This was how the thought to start a small business gained her attention. With the financial contribution of relatives, she was able to raise a little capital, which she channeled into a poultry business. She started by purchasing and selling chickens.

Stella was doing very well at the beginning. Later inflation set in, making nonsense of her capital. Besides this, she was also faced with the problem of stiff competition. ?While it was expedient for me to expand, money for re-capitalization became a major problem.? She knew that the larger her stock, the more profit she would make.

She went everywhere in search of soft loans that have friendly repayment conditions but found none. She thought of taking her trouble to the local moneylenders but was scared of the high interest rate. She was also unable to access loans from formal financial institutions due to non-availability of assets demanded as collateral.

It was at this critical moment of anxiety that the news of LAPO filtered into her ears through a friend of hers. She initially received the information with much skepticism and disdain, wondering how an organization could just afford to give out loan ?just like that,? that is, without security. Having been convinced about LAPO's good intentions for the very poor, she got enlisted with Alaghodaro Union, Benin City in the year 2001.

Stella went through a pre-loan business training of six weeks after which she became qualified for her first loan of N8, 000. She wasted no time in investing the total sum into her poultry business. According to her, ?the money was like a million naira to me. It made a great impact on my poultry business and rested all my anxieties about the problems of capital.

As a result of her industry, zeal and strong commitment to LAPO and her business, members of her union elected her their leader.

With regular loans coming from LAPO, her business began to witness steady growth and profit started to increase gradually. She soon started saving through Olidara (the traditional method of saving) and at the same time was channeling this money back into her business.

Stella disclosed that the soft mode of repayment and the friendly conditions of the loans make LAPO microcredit programme very attractive. In addition, she pointed out that LAPO ?treats loan beneficiaries with respect. You can get money from LAPO without outrageous conditions. I am able to make as much as N2, 000, per week as profit.? Besides the regular loans being provided her by LAPO, she has also benefited from other programmes such as LAPO health workshops, Gender, Environment and Leadership Training (GELT) workshops, Democracy and Governance workshops and other business training programmes regularly packaged by the organization to educate clients and members of the public on socio-economic, political and health issues.

Stella does not see any reason why she should disengage herself from LAPO. ?LAPO,? she said ?has done great things for me. I am now able to cater for the needs of my children left behind by my late husband. My business is growing in leaps and bounds. I have been empowered economically by LAPO.?

She would want LAPO to increase the loan size presently given to members. ?If I were to meet the Founder and Executive Director of LAPO, I will thank him,? she said, ?will appeal that a larger amount be given to members of my union.? Stella does not intend to change her line of business in the nearest future.

She encourages other women who are still depending solely on their husbands for their every need to take advantage of the opportunity being offered by
LAPO

Drug Rehab Program | Seo Web Design | Discount Luxury Watches | Rock | garden shed | Diatomite | Multiple sclerosis