A loan for a ‘normal’ life
Assuming the role of housewife for married women and mothers in BiH is a social norm, but Vernesa wanted something else for her and her family. Loans provided by EKI, World Vision’s Microfinance Institution in BiH, have given her the chance to contribute even more to her family’s wellbeing.
Vernesa used a US$700 loan from EKI to open a small building materials business in 2007. She is now paying off her fourth EKI loan and reaping the rewards of some calculated risk-taking and long, hard work.
Together with her husband Akif, 50 and her two children Faruk,10, and Nedim, 3, and the help of her family she manages to thrive in a market that is characterised by fierce competition in an economically and politically unstable country.
“Vernesa established her business in rented space in the settlement Buća Potok near the capital Sarajevo. In Buca Potok, which looks more like a small village with undeveloped infrastructure and poor living conditions, Vernesa is trying to carve out a ‘normal’ life.
Before she took her first EKI loan she was unemployed, though fully occupied with running the home. Insecure and unhappy with her family role and the inability to contribute to the family income, Vernesa began to make plans to start a business.
At that time their only permanent income consisted of Akif’s salary, but the US$400 a month was paid sporadically. Even today, Akif has not received his salary for the last three months according to Vernesa.
I have gained more confidence and I now truly feel part of society “Even before I took the loan and opened this business I always made sure my children lacked nothing. However, as growing children have growing needs I realised I had to do more than just sit at home and wait for the moment when I could not longer provide them with the essentials”, says Vernesa.
”I took a loan at EKI. US$700 for someone else appears to be very small, but I had to start somewhere. I thought, out of that US$700 I could make US$1,400 and so on”, adds Vernesa.
Vernesa’s first three loans were used to start up her business and her last loan of US$7,000 enabled her to register her business and move it to a more conducive business location, which has increased her sales. Vernesa is already making plans to take another loan to expand her business even further.
“Before we moved into the current business premises we worked from our home”, explains Vernesa. Working under those circumstances was very difficult due to the lack of proper working space and the remote location of her house discouraged potential customers.
Vernesa and Arif’s house is unfinished, just like those that surround it. Yet the cold and damp still present in the house is quickly superseded by the warmth shared by mother Vernesa and her two children.
...now they value me because of my work instead of my gender Vernesa is very happy with the help she receives from her family. Her husband, who is her main support, her parents, younger brother and even her oldest son Faruk all make their much needed contribution. Vernesa’s mother cares for her two children when she is at work and her father and brother help regularly in the store.
Vernesa works hard but she is very optimistic and full of the self-esteem that was restored to her when she started the business.
“In the summer, working days can be pretty long (12 hours), but luckily my family is there to help me out; their help is priceless”, explains Vernesa.
“It is not easy but I have never thought to be rich - I just wanted to have a normal life”, she says.
As a proud mother she boasts how Faruk is doing well at school and about his extraordinary talents in languages and mathematics.
“Just by watching TV he taught himself to speak German, and during the recent inauguration of the president Obama he translated the whole speech to us from English”, she shares.
Everyday, Faruk, who is in the third grade, helps his mother with her business. After school he often drops by and helps with counting and working the cash register.
“I am glad to help out. I do it in my free time, right after school so I have enough time to do my homework afterwards”, says Faruk who aside from being a good student likes to play football.
Vernesa’s sons have spurred her on when the male-dominated business environment threatened to overwhelm her.
“At first, customers did not entirely trust me thinking that I am not able to give the best advice when it comes to building materials. However, in time they have become used to me and now they value me because of my work instead of my gender”, says Vernesa with happiness on her face.
Out of 55,000 EKI clients, only 41% are women. It is still difficult for a woman to run a business in post-war Bosnia where women’s social standing in society has decreased since the 1992-1995 conflict.
Women who once held prestigious positions in public life are now relegated to their homes. And, although women are better educated than men, only 54 per cent of women in BiH are employed, showing the lowest levels of any country in south-eastern Europe. According to the World Bank Poverty Assessment report, there are fewer women among newcomers to the labour market (19 to 29) than men, indicating that a larger number of women than men are leaving the country.
It is not easy but I have never thought to be rich - I just wanted to have a normal life “The competition is fierce and in order to secure a better future for my children in this country, great sacrifices are needed. It is not easy to start up a business in this sector and it requires a certain amount of risk-taking, but I am always being positive and I would rather try to make something out of my life instead of just waiting for others to help me”, she says with obvious determination.
“Vernesa has never been late with payments. Above all she is a wonderful person and an outstanding mother. It is a pleasure knowing such a positive person. She is an inspiration to all women in Bosnia and Herzegovina”, says Vahida Goro, EKI Credit Officer.
But Vernesa also sees beyond the financial aspect of her achievements.
“Not only has our family income increased, I have gained more confidence and I am now truly feel part of society”, she shares.
“It was always my wish to open my own business, and with the help of EKI and my family I was able to do that - not with the intention to get rich from the loans, but to give us a normal life”.
-Ends-
Vernesa used a US$700 loan from EKI to open a small building materials business in 2007. She is now paying off her fourth EKI loan and reaping the rewards of some calculated risk-taking and long, hard work.
Together with her husband Akif, 50 and her two children Faruk,10, and Nedim, 3, and the help of her family she manages to thrive in a market that is characterised by fierce competition in an economically and politically unstable country.
“Vernesa established her business in rented space in the settlement Buća Potok near the capital Sarajevo. In Buca Potok, which looks more like a small village with undeveloped infrastructure and poor living conditions, Vernesa is trying to carve out a ‘normal’ life.
Before she took her first EKI loan she was unemployed, though fully occupied with running the home. Insecure and unhappy with her family role and the inability to contribute to the family income, Vernesa began to make plans to start a business.
At that time their only permanent income consisted of Akif’s salary, but the US$400 a month was paid sporadically. Even today, Akif has not received his salary for the last three months according to Vernesa.
I have gained more confidence and I now truly feel part of society “Even before I took the loan and opened this business I always made sure my children lacked nothing. However, as growing children have growing needs I realised I had to do more than just sit at home and wait for the moment when I could not longer provide them with the essentials”, says Vernesa.
”I took a loan at EKI. US$700 for someone else appears to be very small, but I had to start somewhere. I thought, out of that US$700 I could make US$1,400 and so on”, adds Vernesa.
Vernesa’s first three loans were used to start up her business and her last loan of US$7,000 enabled her to register her business and move it to a more conducive business location, which has increased her sales. Vernesa is already making plans to take another loan to expand her business even further.
“Before we moved into the current business premises we worked from our home”, explains Vernesa. Working under those circumstances was very difficult due to the lack of proper working space and the remote location of her house discouraged potential customers.
Vernesa and Arif’s house is unfinished, just like those that surround it. Yet the cold and damp still present in the house is quickly superseded by the warmth shared by mother Vernesa and her two children.
...now they value me because of my work instead of my gender Vernesa is very happy with the help she receives from her family. Her husband, who is her main support, her parents, younger brother and even her oldest son Faruk all make their much needed contribution. Vernesa’s mother cares for her two children when she is at work and her father and brother help regularly in the store.
Vernesa works hard but she is very optimistic and full of the self-esteem that was restored to her when she started the business.
“In the summer, working days can be pretty long (12 hours), but luckily my family is there to help me out; their help is priceless”, explains Vernesa.
“It is not easy but I have never thought to be rich - I just wanted to have a normal life”, she says.
As a proud mother she boasts how Faruk is doing well at school and about his extraordinary talents in languages and mathematics.
“Just by watching TV he taught himself to speak German, and during the recent inauguration of the president Obama he translated the whole speech to us from English”, she shares.
Everyday, Faruk, who is in the third grade, helps his mother with her business. After school he often drops by and helps with counting and working the cash register.
“I am glad to help out. I do it in my free time, right after school so I have enough time to do my homework afterwards”, says Faruk who aside from being a good student likes to play football.
Vernesa’s sons have spurred her on when the male-dominated business environment threatened to overwhelm her.
“At first, customers did not entirely trust me thinking that I am not able to give the best advice when it comes to building materials. However, in time they have become used to me and now they value me because of my work instead of my gender”, says Vernesa with happiness on her face.
Out of 55,000 EKI clients, only 41% are women. It is still difficult for a woman to run a business in post-war Bosnia where women’s social standing in society has decreased since the 1992-1995 conflict.
Women who once held prestigious positions in public life are now relegated to their homes. And, although women are better educated than men, only 54 per cent of women in BiH are employed, showing the lowest levels of any country in south-eastern Europe. According to the World Bank Poverty Assessment report, there are fewer women among newcomers to the labour market (19 to 29) than men, indicating that a larger number of women than men are leaving the country.
It is not easy but I have never thought to be rich - I just wanted to have a normal life “The competition is fierce and in order to secure a better future for my children in this country, great sacrifices are needed. It is not easy to start up a business in this sector and it requires a certain amount of risk-taking, but I am always being positive and I would rather try to make something out of my life instead of just waiting for others to help me”, she says with obvious determination.
“Vernesa has never been late with payments. Above all she is a wonderful person and an outstanding mother. It is a pleasure knowing such a positive person. She is an inspiration to all women in Bosnia and Herzegovina”, says Vahida Goro, EKI Credit Officer.
But Vernesa also sees beyond the financial aspect of her achievements.
“Not only has our family income increased, I have gained more confidence and I am now truly feel part of society”, she shares.
“It was always my wish to open my own business, and with the help of EKI and my family I was able to do that - not with the intention to get rich from the loans, but to give us a normal life”.
-Ends-
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