Gateye is a member of a community with a successful tree nursery in Ethiopia. He is the eucalyptus merchant. Before joining a Purpose Group, he only did manual labor and didn’t participate in things like selling seedlings. When Plant With Purpose began work in his community, he got the opportunity to participate in tree nursery training and decide whether to establish a nursery. After the nursery was established through a social fund that all local community members contributed to, Gateye became a role model for the community. He actively participated and attended all meetings. He produced 15,000 birr in the dry season. He sold seedlings for 4 birr each. When he got a loan for 60,000 birr, he expanded his business by adding other seedling species, which the local community frequently purchases.

Entrepreneur Emawey is a member of a Purpose Group. She is educated and expected to be employed after graduation, but she did not have the opportunity to work. As a result, she is obliged to be self-employed.

Emawey started her own small shop and sold consumable products like matches. Her small business was profitable, but she was unable to expand her business because she did not have access to capital. Traditional financial institutions would not loan to her because she did not have property for collateral. She was unwilling to take a private loan because she saw the high interest rate and knew it could lead to bankruptcy. During this time, Plant With Purpose started its development work and set up a Purpose Group near her community. Emaway observed this and eventually joined the second Purpose Group in her area.

Six months later, Emaway was able to receive a loan from her savings group and expand her business to include onion, pepper, and other spices. Currently, she says that “everyone, particularly an individual who wants to start a small business and plans to engage in retailer activity should join a Purpose Group.”

BirieMinwagew has been a member of a Purpose Group for two years. Since 2019, his livelihood depends on only trading shoes. He has received three loans and paid them back on time. He was recently elected treasure of the group. But after a few weeks, an unexpected break-in happened in his home, and he lost his stock of shoes, which was estimated to be valued at a minimum of 20,000 birr (about $400). Due to the break-in, he did not have cash available, and the only solution was to borrow from the savings group and apply with a social fund contribution. Based on the savings group loan application form the group allowed, the loan is repayable at 1200 birr at the interest rate 3% and social contribution (which is not repayable) of 4000 birr. Now, he has been able to start trading shoes again. Of the event, he shared that “Plant With Purpose savings group is a means to cope with an unforeseen event.”