The Story of a Female Entrepreneur Who Rebuilt Her Business with "Fashaa Madadhu" Loan

Aishath Eema, one of the recipients of the first phase of the 'Fathaa Madadhu' (Starting Support) loan scheme launched by the government to empower women, has shared her experience of how the loan helped her business grow, overcome challenges, and eventually recover. Eema operates in the retail sector, running a sunglasses business.

Eema became interested in the business world after working with her father in business for 7-8 years. With a growing interest in entering a new market, she started her sunglasses business. According to Eema, at that time, there weren't many businesses offering affordable, high-quality polarized sunglasses with UV protection in the market, which helped her business gain a substantial market share and widespread acceptance.

However, during the difficult period of COVID-19, having to conduct business online resulted in the loss of many customers. To recover from this situation, Eema applied for the 'Fathaa Madadhu' loan with the goal of opening a physical outlet again. She chose this loan because it was available without collateral and was specifically designed to empower women.

After opening a new outlet with the help of the Fathaa Madadhu loan, the business once again attracted many customers, with an increasing number of repeat customers. As a result, it became possible to bring in more inventory, and revenue significantly stabilized.

Eema noted that the biggest challenge in running the business was having to travel abroad each time to check stock. Consequently, she has now begun importing stock online as well.

The message Eema wants to give to women is to "Start with courage." According to her, when starting a business, you learn many new things every day. And once you start, she assures that gradually everything will fall into place.

The "Fathaa Madadhu" loan scheme represents a significant opportunity for women to stand on their own feet. This loan scheme is expected to provide many women like Eema with the opportunity to start their own businesses and pave the way for economic empowerment.