Perseverance pays off for Good Hope Club

Generating a steady source of additional income for her family

What started as a dream has become a life-changing reality for a group of men and women in rural Malawi.

With our support, Good Hope Club formed a cooperative bank to pursue radical change for their families, by creating a place to save money and access small loans. But this special team has gone a step further.

As payment for a delinquent loan, the group took a lease on some land. Each member was tasked with contributing 250g of soya seed, and they managed to raise 4kg.

They planted the seed and tended the valuable crop together, managing to multiply their initial capital by over 40 times.
The produce was sold and, exercising a lot of wisdom and self-discipline, the proceeds were used to pay the rent for the next growing season, keeping back some for seed.

This year they have multiplied the seed by 40 times again, which was sold for £500 (the purchasing power of about £5,000 in the UK). As well as reinvesting in the business, this additional income source is enabling each member to take care of the welfare of their families.

The club has visions of expansion, and the dream of the members is to construct improved houses for their families with iron roofs, and to eat three meals a day.

When asked about their secret to success, one of the members said, ‘Knowing that nobody can go far alone has kept us together. We are united in everything we do.’