February 26, 2016

The Far-Reaching Benefits of Women’s Economic Empowerment
By Aissata Traore 

Nour Haddad’s* family struggled to make ends meet. With the average teacher’s salary in Lebanon around $900 a month, supporting a family of ten on her husband’s income alone was a challenge. Nour wanted to open a flower business to help support her family. But with limited resources, little family support, and a culture that reinforces women’s role as…

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August 6, 2014

Naji expanded his bakery business with a loan through the Lebanon Investment in Microfinance Program.

Ever since Naji returned from Brazil to settle in Jbeil, Mount Lebanon, he has worked to share his passion for baking with the local community. Naji wanted to expand his bakery and cater to the summer tourists who flock to Jbeil for its coastal beauty. But in order to expand, he needed capital.

After learning about the…

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May 6, 2014

Leyla probably doesn’t think of herself as being in “agribusiness,” but that’s the way she spends most of her working and waking hours.  She’s the major breadwinner in her family of five in a suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, and keeps her family’s  income stream flowing by growing olives and other crops as well as beekeeping.

Beehives in Leyla’s Field

Recently, she took a big step forward by applying for and getting a loan from a…

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November 4, 2013

With access to capital, a Lebanese farmer watches his business grow

Badr is a 48-year-old father of six, is a Lebanese farmer who has grown and marketed organic vegetables in Akkar, North Lebanon for the past 25 years.

Due to political instability and recent bad weather conditions, it was becoming more difficult for Badr to sustain and grow his operations. Additionally, Badr was having increasing difficulty to channeling and distributing…

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April 3, 2013

With support, entrepreneurial woman creates a thriving bakery

Daniela is a 38 year old mother of three from Martmoura, Lebanon. For her, her family, and many residents of this northern Lebanese village, agriculture is a central part of daily life and Martmoura has become a hub of agricultural trade. Every year the village is host to a number of events and in 2005, Daniela began making baked goods from her home to sell on these occasions….

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