All around the world, billions of fathers work tirelessly to build better lives for their families. Guillermo, August and Rashid are three such fathers who, with the help of FINCA loans, have given their children security and hope for a better future.

Guillermo Salazar Euceda, Honduras

Guillermo Salazar Euceda has been a dedicated FINCA client in Honduras for over ten years. Through his various loans he has successfully built two businesses: a grocery store and a small plant that produces concrete blocks and drainage pipes for construction.

Aside from his businesses’ growth, Guillermo says that his proudest accomplishment is being able to pay the school fees for his four children.

Their eldest daughter has a degree in teaching and teaches elementary school. Their second daughter is an accountant. With her family dental practice on the second floor above Guillermo’s grocery store, their third daughter is also enrolled in medical school. And their youngest child, their son, is working on finishing his degree in civil engineering.

“I feel proud as a father and satisfied with my work, since my wife and I have struggled a lot to achieve all these things.”

August Jean Soliny, Haiti

After the disastrous earthquake in Haiti in 2010, August Jean Soliny, a vegetable farmer in Haiti, found it difficult to get fresh, clean water for his land. A few years later, August faced another hardship. All of his crops were infected by a contagion. He lost all the money he invested in his vegetables and fruits.

By early 2015, August was ready to invest more in his farm, hoping to regrow his crops and diversify his inventory. He heard about FINCA’s agricultural loans when a loan officer visited the area.  With his first FINCA loan, August planted okra, corn and tomato seeds on his farm. With subsequent loans, August purchased more seeds in bulk to plant.

Today, August is happy that he has an abundance of vegetables and fruit to sell. His farming proceeds also help to support his mother, brothers and four children who attend school.

“I don’t have to worry about paying for my children’s school,” he says. “It is a big change for us. It wasn’t easy for use to manage the school fees and to tend to the land. My farm helps our family to dress, eat, go to school and save money. It has changed my family’s lives a lot.”

Rashid Ali, Pakistan

Rashid Ali, of Pakistan, has always worked diligently to provide for his family, despite any obstacles he has faced. Starting at a young age, Rashid made the selfless decision to drop out of school and help his parents financially, so that his younger siblings could stay in school.

He began to work at a local power loom and soon became the factory foreman. However, in 1996 his eyesight began to fail and he was forced to resign from the factory. Over the next six years, he and his own family struggled to make ends meet.

Then, Rashid heard about a plant in his neighborhood that manufactured specialty wire brushes and persuaded the owner to hire him. Eventually, the owner laid him off but, by then, Rashid’s confidence had grown and eventually he opened his own factory.

With the help of FINCA’s small loans, Rashid has steadily expanded his business, hiring more workers and selling more products. And the motivation all comes from his children. The income he earns has provided a better life for his children.