The Spring of Ma Hongfang

Ma Hongfang is 36-years-old and has a junior middle school education. She hails from Dalinpo Village, Zuoquan County of Shanxi Province.

Ma was accustomed to leading a hard life on her few acres of land. With the birth of her daughter, Ma faced both untold happiness and concerns for the future. Due to Ma’s low-level income, she did not know where her daughter’s educational expenses would come from. Ma had long-dreamt of going into business for herself, but dismissed the idea because she did not have access to money.

Ma’s life reached a turning point in 2001 when the Canadian government offered a micro-credit loan to women like Ma who live in the poverty-struck area of Jinzhong City. The outreach project allows groups of five to seven people to jointly apply for the micro-credit, so Ma rallied a group of villagers to create a team to qualify for the loan.

Ma received her first 600 yuan loan and bought an electronic delivery tricycle. Ma then applied for an additional loan to start a non-staple food, liquor and cigarette store, and her business expanded rapidly allowing her to buy two trucks and hire five employees.

Hongfang now has fixed assets of 50,000 yuan and an annual net income of 50,000 yuan. “Success would never have come without the help of micro credits,” she said.