A Small Cash Transfer Yields Big Dividends

My name is Louise, a widow and mother of five children living in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. After my husband’s death, my children and I became very vulnerable because my late husband’s relatives confiscated all the household items we possessed and also because I got regularly sick.

As a matter of fact, I found it was very worthwhile for me to seek health care support at the Lumiere Health Center, where I was offered provider-initiated HIV testing and counseling and tested positive for HIV.¹ My younger son was also diagnosed as HIV-positive. I was deeply encouraged by health care providers and agreed to initiate HIV treatment, together with my son. Despite the difficult circumstances, I kept adhering to HIV treatment as recommended by health care providers, then little by little, my son and I became healthy.

Due to the attitude of my late husband’s relatives towards me and my children, I decided to leave our family home, along with my children, and started renting a small house. I got a small job consisting of reselling charcoal. This helped me to survive a bit.

When the case manager visited me at my house, then at the place where I was reselling the charcoal, he was astonished by my strength to make money. He transferred me to the OVC [orphans and vulnerable children] program’s Savings and Internal Lending Community cash transfer, through which, I was entitled to receive a small grant. Then I began buying and reselling charcoal on my own account. I used to save a part of the benefit I was earning and spend the remaining part to survive with my five children.

At the beginning of this activity, I was reselling a capital stock of one sack of charcoal; now it has increased to 15 sacks. After three years in this business, I bought a small compound where I have built a house I rent out. It is wonderful for me.

Louise is visiting her second compound where a new house is being built. Photo: EGPAF 2022

By the end of last year—under the benefit of my [charcoal sales] and the revenue I am earning from my house rental business—I have bought a second compound where I am building another small house for rental purposes. I hope that this will further strengthen my well-being and that of my children.

The Lord has made me be the head and no longer the tail as I was formerly—from the status of the money borrower to that of money lender.

Through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation provides cash transfer to people affected by HIV though the Savings and Internal Lending Community program.