A Lifeline in a COVID-19 Lockdown

Dorine has worked as a farmer on a small plot of land to support her family for years. She and her husband has always been able to manage the little money they made from the farm. Buying fuel for cooking and lighting their home has always been one of their biggest expense. When they learned about FINCA’s affordable energy enterprise, BrightLife, they were eager to bring solar energy into their home, knowing it would save them money and create a healthier environment for their children. Dorine and her husband realized Dorine’s earnings could also take care of the pay-as-you-go financing for their solar home system. Also, they realized that once the system has been paid off they can invest that money which would normally go to fuel into their monthly savings. They decided to invest in a solar home system knowing it would reap dividends for their family. When the Ugandan government issued its stay-at-home order, Dorine had countless questions. But the main question was “If she couldn’t leave home, how could she earn a living? How would her family eat?” But FINCA International was proactive and surveyed our clients in the region was not only concerned about the COVID virus, but also their economic situation. Because of FINCA donors and supporters, Dorine and other BrightLife customers were able to keep their solar home system turned on for the next month free. Through the FINCA Emergency Response Fund, FINCA is responding to the immediate and ongoing financial, livelihood, and health needs of customers and their communities across FINCA’s global network of banks and social enterprises in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Contributions to the fund provide flexible financial assistance to small and micro-businesses and high-impact start-ups working in health, education, energy, and agriculture, and mobilize FINCA’s financial system. In the best of times, your generosity is life-changing for families in need. But at times like this, your generosity is essential and needed more than ever. Thank you for being a lifeline to families like Dorine’s.