Ibu Erlina, Indonesia

Microfinance gives Ibu Erlina new hope after she loses everything.

When the tsunami ravaged Aceh’s shores on December 26, 2004, Ibu Erlina lost both her parents, her parents’ home, and all of her family’s possessions. With no money, Erlina moved her husband and one-and-a-half year old daughter to temporary barracks. Her husband worked in the construction industry, and Erlina ran a small kiosk selling snacks and sundries on the land her parents owned. However, she struggled to make a profit because she lacked the capital to adequately stock the kiosk.

She first heard of Yayasan Mirtra Dhuafa (YAMIDA), a microfinance institution, when Rose, YAMIDA’s branch manager, came to her village and held a meeting for any women interested in accessing micro loans. Erlina took out a US$100 loan and was able to fully stock her kiosk. In time, she grew her daily profit from $2 a day to $3 a day. She hopes to soon move her family into a home of their own or for an NGO to provide housing for them, but, of present, little construction has been done in her village. When asked what her plans or dreams are for the future, she simply replies, “I just want everything better than it is now.”