Microfinance True Stories: Little Rani Makes Big

By Kashf Foundation

Rani is known amongst her neighbors and family as little Rani. “I never got married- no one wanted to marry me. They would call me a dwarf! My family was very upset at this but I decided then that I would never be a financial burden on anyone.” Rani is no burden; in fact she brings in half of the income on which her brother and his wife, whom she lives with, survive. Rani has been working for ten years with livestock, selling cow milk and manure for farming and fertilizer.

Rani started her business with one cow and would toil all day, but she couldn’t always meet the customers’ demands. Having one cow was risky, all of her income depended on it. Rani wanted to expand her business and make sure she didn’t entrust her livelihood on her single cow, so she decided that she would take a loan from Kashf Foundation to buy another cow. “I did not want to ask any family members, I knew they would not support me so I heard about Kashf and went to them. It was the best decision for my business.”

Today, Rani has 5 cows and has been borrowing loans from Kashf for 4 years. She now has an expanded client base and is able to sell more milk. “I have more work now but I am so happy because I would have nothing to do and would be dependent on others for a living. Now not only do I make enough for myself I also give some money to my brother. I feel no shame in living in his house as I contribute more than him. I am very content with my life and will continue working and I hope to invest more money in my business- in fact by the end of this year I hope to purchase another cow!”