Women’s Voice Trust

The women in this group all received an initial loan of $203, which they pooled to buy start-up supplies and lease land for their kiln. The women experiences some set-backs in the beginning of their project, including some erratic weather and the brick market being somewhat depressed. WVT worked with the women to navigate these challenges, and all of the women were able to pay back their initial loans on-schedule, enabling 10 new women to join the group and receive a loan.

A large challenge, however, was within the women's families: many of their husbands interfered with the women's work. WVT worked to do education with the women and their families, hosting workshops and training to build the women's morale and help them feel committed to the project.

WVT was one of the groups visited by current and former Board members in January 2018. Now that the project is in its second year the group has experienced a lot of success, and are now looking to start a second brick kiln. The Board members were very impressed with the successes of the group. They especially noted how the whole community seemed to be involved in the project and proud of the work.