Business name: Arach Evalyn, Retail Business (Selling charcoal)

Location: Prison Barracks - Gulu

Partner: LifeInAfrica, We Center, Gulu

Partner Reps: Robert Oketa/Grace Ayaa

Enterprenuer: Arach Evalyn

Activity: Selling charcoal

Loan amount : 250,000/=

Loan term: 6 months

Below is her loan description:

Arach Evalyn is Ugandan by nationality and was born on 11/09/1978 in Bira Jubi village in Pabbo sub county ( Amuru district). Currently she is living in Gulu prison barracks. She is living in the Prison barracks because her husband is a prison warden so the family is staying within the quarters. She is a responsible woman with 3 children; the youngest is 3 years old.

She started primary one at Pabbo primary school and stopped in primary six. She had to grow up fast when in 1987 both her parents were killed by the rebels. Her father was 39 and her mother 32 when they were killed. At that moment, her whole life changed. And she is not alone. So many lives have been lost and properties lost in this 20 year war.

At the moment she is engaged in a retail business selling charcoal. She is buying it from a place called Pabbo which is 24 miles from town. At the moment the price per one sack in the town is 14,000/= but from the village it is only 7,000/= shillings. She is making a profit of 80,000/= shillings per month with the little capital she has. She also cares for an elderly aunt and she helps sell the charcoal in the market. The demand for charcoal is constant so this is a good business to have.

She became a member of Life in Africa in September 2006 where she engages herself in bead making . Once a month (production day) she can sell her beads and earn some money for survival. She has also learned business skills and now wants to expand her charcoal business. This will give her more income which she will use to pay school fees for the children and other basic needs. She will also be able to save some for the future. She anticipates that she will be able to profit 160,000/= per month.

To accomplish this expansion she is seeking a loan in the amount of 250,000/= and she will be able to repay this loan in 6 months.

You can view her budget for the loan as below:

Store........................................15,000/=

Market dues.............................120,000/=

Transport:.................................10,000/=

26 Empty bags (sacks)..................26,000/=

26 Bags of charcoal...................182,000/=

License:.....................................5,000/=

Total......................................250,000/=

[Edited by group owner: Evvy Bryning on 28 Sep 2007 14:23 PDT: edited content. this is final]