Mrs. Surip is 52 years old and has 5 children, 3 of whom are married. The remaining two are still in school and live with her. Her husband, Mr. Tumijo, works as a laborer with an income of $15/week. Mrs. Surip has a small business as a snack/food vendor going from place to place. Usually she sells her wares at public events where there are many people at festivals and carnivals. She sells drinks, peanuts, snacks and cigarettes. If there is no festival, she will sell snacks at Parangkysmo Beach. She is highly motivated to expand her business because her income is very small.

Maryati, 42 years old. We met her 3 years ago selling groceries and cooking vegetables. she received a $100 loan to start a small business selling snacks. She has 3 children, her husband works as temporary driver. The second year she got another loan of $150 to help expand her business, selling more items and provide more things to sell. a couple of months ago she got a third loan of $200. With the loan, she bought a freezer and blender and expanded her small business by selling fresh juices, produce ice for sale, and now she also provides fresh vegetables and cooking ingredients.

Three years ago she made $1/day income, today she makes $10/day income. "I can send my children to school without worry now, I can provide small money for their pocket money everyday. I'm happy my business going well, this is all for my children. Before I had so much debt to other people for living and especially for school and had no income, now I'm free of debt and have my own income."

Yuli Arif, 33 years old. Sells seasonal fruits and coconuts. We met Yuli in 2010. Yuli was not divorced but lived separately from her husband with her brother's family. Life was so hard for her. To make a living she sold fruits and vegetables in her local traditional market. Overcoming Poverty Together provided her with a $50 loan to start her business. After only 10 months, she was able to move to a different village with her husband and children.

In 2012, she came to our office to apply for a new loan. She was looking to expand her business by selling young coconuts, and we provided her with a $100 loan. After a year her business was running well, and she applied for a thord loan of $200 in order to expand her business even further. With this money, she bought a freezer so she could make ice cubes. This has enabled Yuli to set up a temporary stall located on the side of a main road, in front of cigarette factory. As a result, she has gained a lot of new customers. Her young, fresh coconut juice, mixed with brown sugar, syrup, or original flavors, soon became the talk of the town. Although there are many large suppliers of coconut water, she prefers to buy from local suppliers. It's far cheaper and helps her local economy.

"This loan program helped me improve my life. My life was difficult. I had nothing, not even a bicycle. I borrowed my brother's bicycle, I could not provide food for my family. I still had to ask my mother for rice when we were hungry. I could not feed my youngest daughter, and I had to give her to my sister. Now, my life is much better. My business runs well. I can buy a secondhand motorcycle for my small business. I can provide food for my family every day, and my youngest daughter is back with me."