Ilire Ademi is one of FINCA’s clients that with a small loan, is making major changes to build a better future for her family. Ilire is from Gjakova, a country which was affected the most by the conflict in Kosovo. She is 45 years old, has two kids, is a wife, and is a successfully entrepreneur.
As a child, she took up sewing traditional wedding gowns and vests for brides, as her mother also had this trade. This hobby slept in her heart and did it with great passion, that even after her marriage she continued being dedicated to this trade. At that period of time, the country’s economy was down and forced her to focus on her job unstoppably.
As she was lacking tools for her job, for which she also lacking financial support, Ilire decided to seek a loan from a bank or microfinance. She took the initiative to go to a bank. There, she was advised by a bank employee to go to FINCA, saying that she was a potential client there. Ilire visited FINCA and received information on the conditions of the loan and decided to apply for the amount of 500 Euros needed to purchase her materials. She chose the product group loan and applied along with her neighbors, three years ago. After her neighbors took her craftsman skills, Ilire decided to go her own way again, and applied for an individual loan. Over time, she began engaging her sister in laws in her business, for which they were all living under one roof. Thus, her business took its first steps towards expansion and development.
With her income, Ilire is able to support her 12 year old boy’s dream of becoming a professional football player. Just this year, she sent him to Switzerland to be coached and mentored.
When asked by FINCA staff what message could she give to women in business, she replied ‘If a woman has the will and desire to work in her field of passion, is feisty , and works without a schedule, this woman is a successful woman ‘