Evelyn Phiri

“My name is Evelyn Phiri. I have been a widow since 2018. My husband and I had 3 children. My oldest girl is now 16 and in form 4 (high school senior) at school. My two boys are 13 and 8 years old and in form 1 (high school freshman) and grade 2.  As a widow I make ends meet by buying and selling perishable produce like fruits, vegetables and sweets. Presently, I am living with my biological father and my brother’s children. Together there are nine people living in one house.

Recently, I joined a group of women and began making and selling peanut butter using the principles of microfinancing. We secured a small loan from Microfinancing Partners in Africa to improve our machinery and purchase basic canning supplies.  We began marketing our product to our neighbors. We make a good product and make a small profit every week.  

I have benefited a lot from the peanut butter project. At the beginning of this year (2022), I was struggling to secure a place for my son to begin form 1.  Thanks to Microfinancing Partners in Africa and the peanut butter project, our group had enough savings to make it possible for me to pay his admission fee. Without this project, I could not have managed to send my son to school.