Zuwera’s Journey to a Brighter Future with VisionFund Ghana.

In most rural communities in Ghana, life is a daily struggle, but one thing remains constant: the deep desire of parents to give their children a brighter future. For parents in these communities, providing food, education, and healthcare for their children is both their greatest motivation and their heaviest burden. Yet, in the face of adversity, their love and determination push them to seek better opportunities for their families. For Madam Zuwera, a mother of five from Garu in the Upper East Region of Ghana, this dream became the driving force behind a courageous decision that changed her life.

Zuwera, a 35-year-old hairdresser and shoe seller, found herself at a crossroads. Life in Garu was tough, with limited resources and opportunities to grow her income. Running her small salon and her shoe business on the side was never enough to cover the cost of school fees, uniforms, and other essentials for her children. Each passing day brought a weight of uncertainty. Then she heard about a local savings group called Suguru. And that was when her journey to financial empowerment started.

Madam Zuwera joined Suguru, a savings group formed by World Vision where they save on weekly basis and share out to each in a specified time frame to support themselves in providing for their families. Through the Finance Accelerating Savings Group Transformation (FAST) project, this group received training that helped them discover their true potential and ability to provide for themselves and their families. They also learned essential skills in business management and wise investment to help grow their businesses. Afterward, they were introduced to VisionFund Ghana for financial support to expand and develop their businesses further.

Encouraged by this newfound knowledge, Zuwera secured her first loan of GHS 1,500 ($101.12) from VisionFund Ghana through the Suguru savings group. With the funds, she restocked her salon with essential hair products, diversified her services, and expanded her shoe business. 

The impact was almost immediate because of the business management training she had from the FAST project. With better-quality products and a wider range of services, Zuwera’s salon became the go-to choice for many in her community. She is currently training five apprentices from the Garu community. The additional income allowed her to consistently meet her children’s educational needs, ensuring they could remain in school without interruption. “Now I’m able to pay school fees, buy uniforms, and cover other essentials at home,” she shared.

She reinvested her profits to acquire a new shop in the community’s town square, a prime location that significantly increased her customer base. She attributes this progress to the financial education and support she received through World Vision and VisionFund Ghana.

Looking to the future, Zuwera dreams of building a home for her family in a stable and secure environment where her children can thrive. 

With the right resources and opportunities parents can provide basic needs for their wards. God created us with love and the ability to provide for ourselves and our families, children do not have to live without  proper meals, educational needs and health. At VisionFund Ghana we believe that there is hope for every child and together with world Vision we are helping individuals to unlock their full potential through the FAST project.

 

Photo and story by Angelina Hawa Ayamga