My name is Ghada, and I am a member of the Artery of Hope Savings Group.
Today, I would like to share a success story—an idea that started with the savings group and grew into a project to cultivate more than 60 dunams of land.
I come from a family of 18 members. After completing my studies as a psychological counselor, I searched unsuccessfully for a job that matched my qualifications and would allow me to support my family, especially given the difficult economic and social conditions in the country.
The first time I heard about savings groups was through the Association of Women for Giving in Rajeb.
At first, I wondered: how can I save when I urgently need financial support?
But over time, everything changed as a result of the lessons I learned in each meeting.
Our meetings were not just about saving—they introduced a new way of life. I heard experiences and success stories that inspired me and helped shape a more positive and forward-thinking mindset.
Thank God, I received full support from both my family and the savings group to take out a loan and start a project. The first loan wasn’t easy—especially since the repayment amount was higher than the original loan—but after we planted and sold our first harvest, we had enough to repay the loan in full and still make a good profit for my family.
Since then, I’ve increased the amount of my savings in order to qualify for larger loans. I discovered that the more I save, the more I earn—not only from the project itself but also from the group’s social fund, which distributes loan interest earnings among members at the end of each year.
It’s a wonderful feeling to begin trusting myself more, and to feel the trust and encouragement from my family. I look forward to attending each savings group meeting. My family is now my biggest supporter, and we’ve started taking larger loans and cultivating even more land.
Today, I encourage everyone to join savings groups so that together we can build a more aware and empowered society that believes in the power of change.
