Fido reposted this
There was this hardworking mother who worked as an auxiliary nurse. Between the irregular work hours, alternating day and night shifts, and caring for children, she constantly struggled with balance. Never mind that the income was never enough. “Do I quit? do I find another job? Do I move into another sector?…..” She was haunted by the very same questions a lot of single parents are familiar with, especially as their kids are growing and they fear that their constant absence could wreck havoc on raising their children. Left with little options, this woman came up with an idea to set up a table-top business, initially to supplement her income, but also with the hope that it grows to one day become her primary income source. As a salaried worker, her first point of call was her bank. After all, her salary had been paid into that account consistently for many years, so getting a small facility to start a business should be a no-brainer. To her biggest surprise, she couldn’t access a facility, for reasons that are too many to list here. She was shattered…. Today, this woman owns three stores selling fruits and vegetables, and has employed 3 people. She has successfully educated her children, and has her sights on expanding her business further. This is the true story of an actual Fido customer, and just one of over one million customers that fido has served, disbursing over half a billion dollars to them and providing them with a range of other financial services. Their story always starts with one small collateral-free facility, and Fido’s willingness to take a bet on them.… Her story and countless others, is what keeps us up at night. The impact is real, it is life-changing, and it is targeted at where it is needed the most: the unbanked and the underbanked, including those with no prior financial history. And we are both excited and humbled to have recently hunted down 30 million more reasons to do what we do best, one dollar at a time. So if you’ve been wondering where I’ve been, and why I’ve been quite on LinkedIn these past few months, the answer is summed up in an African proverb: “hunting and noise don’t go together.” Nice to be back, and thanks to all those who checked-in during the hunting season. It is back to work now, for unto whom much is given, much is expected.