The Village Banking group Famn Vayant meets in a church located in the village of Massé, on the southwestern coast of Haiti. The group began with 20 members, but its numbers quickly swelled to 32, evidence of the demand for affordable working capital. See how a Village Bank loan transformed their lives. Famn Vayant members have used their loans shows some small successes, which take on added importance in a country where nearly 80 percent of the population is without work.

Gaspa Garidad is managing a $140 loan. She bakes and sells bread wholesale from her house. She is doing well; in a country where the majority attempt to survive on less than $1 a day, Gaspa is setting aside $6 per week in savings. She looks forward to having even larger loans from FINCA in the future, which will help her to continue expanding her business and her income.

Imacula Eliza noticed the meetings taking place at the local church and decided to ask what was going on. When she heard about what FINCA was doing, she decided right away to join Famn Vayant. She knew it would provide a boost for her business selling beans, rice, and sugar from her home. Imacula travels to the market in nearby Les Cayes by motorcycle, balancing large sacks of food on the back. Her first loan from FINCA has helped her to purchase the goods she sells at a much better price than she could before.

Before coming to FINCA, Amazon Creda sold used clothing to support herself and her four children. But access to working capital has allowed Amazon to diversify; she now also sells bread and raises pigs. She has seen her profits grow, and she is now able to feed her children and still put a portion of her earnings back into her businesses.

Janie Ya Joseph, the mother of seven, sells staples such as rice, flour, and sugar by the road that runs in front of her house. Although she is only getting started, she says that FINCA capital has already helped to reduce the cost of doing business. With her first loan, she purchased her goods at wholesale prices and immediately realized a larger margin of profit.

For 10 years, Deci Marie Bien, the mother of four, has sold flour, sugar, bread, and oil from a roadside table. With FINCA capital, she was able to purchase her inventory at wholesale prices, increase her margin of profit, and set aside savings. Her husband farms corn, potatoes, and rice for the family's consumption, and as a result, Deci has been able to reinvest a large part her earnings in her business.

These five women of Famn Vayant run five small businesses, providing income for 22 people in a community where many families have no income at all. Members have invested loans averaging $122 in their tiny enterprises, and have set aside an average of $25 in savings. While these numbers are small, in developing countries, the difference between poverty and subsistence is small in dollar terms, but huge in terms of quality of life. FINCA continues to look for ways to reach tens of thousands of poor Haitians, all of whom deserve the chance to achieve their own small successes.