Success Stories
At Forward Movement Inc., we believe in tangible change and lasting impact. Our success stories are a testament to the dedication of our community and the transformative power of our programs. Each narrative below showcases the profound difference your support makes in real lives, from providing clean water to fostering women's empowerment. We invite you to explore these journeys and see how together, we are building a better future.
Access to clean water transforms lives
For communities struggling with water scarcity, our initiatives provide sustainable access to clean and safe drinking water. See how families thrive and health improves when this basic need is met. Each drop of clean water brings hope and opens doors to a brighter future.
Aisha lives in Dansoman, one of the largest suburbs in Ghana’s Greater Accra Region. The area is known as a center of art and culture and boasts modern infrastructure, and much of the city is supplied with water from the nearby Weija Dam and Water Treatment plant.
However, the plant cannot meet the demand of all of its households, leaving some of its poorest residents to find alternative sources of drinking water. These sources are often unmonitored and untested, so those with no other option also suffer great concerns about their health and well-being.
According to a 2020 study published in The Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Ghanaians cite the following worries about the water they buy from unregulated vendors:
- Microbial contaminants from unhygienic conditions
- High costs that prevent fulfilling household needs
- Environmental concerns about single-use plastics
Social enterprise Jibu addresses those concerns by leveraging emergent markets to provide safe drinking water to these communities. Forward Movement Inc. has participated in the Jibu project.
Using a four-step, internationally-accredited filtration system to process untreated water, tankfuls are then distributed by local franchisees like Aisha in reusable containers. The business owner is supported by a strong company framework, and communities get a consistent source of clean, affordable water.
The filtration process used by Jibu is akin to the filtration system developed by Forward Movement's Clean Water Machine for the World.
At least half of Jibu's business owners are women — quite notable since it operates mainly in countries where gender parity is a distant dream. In their experience, “women-owned franchises on average drive more growth, manage finances better, and are more compliant with Jibu’s franchise system standards.”
Empowering women for a stronger future
As an entrepreneur, Manal faces the usual challenges - finding customers, stocking up on materials, and keeping up with the competition. But as a woman, Manal has also had to shut down those in her community that disapprove of her running a business.
When she opened her own sewing workshop five years ago in a village just south of Jenin, Palestine, Manal was met with some tart criticism about her work.
“It was the competitiveness, which was expected,” recalls the 49 year-old mother of seven. “Belittling my business, most people would say ‘how is your business even supposed to succeed across this town?’”
With the help of a Kiva loan, Manal has not only succeeded but expanded—showing the naysayers that she has a firm handle on her ventures and her livelihood.
“The most important lesson I learned was to rely mainly on myself, and to always pay attention and keep an eye on the future.”
A devout wife and mother, Manal worked as a seamstress on the side but hadn’t considered owning her own shop. But when her husband fell ill and she could no longer leave the house for her shifts, she realized she could turn the hardship into an opportunity.
“The workshop’s owner was kind enough and brought me a sewing machine, he would bring me the orders to complete them from home,” she recalls.
“I started thinking to myself about increasing productivity and running my own business. Instead of getting paid half the work’s worth, I would get the full profit for myself.”
To begin, however, the burgeoning entrepreneur needed capital for more machines and a space to work. She knew another woman with her own business who introduced her to FATEN, a Kiva Lending Partner that facilitates microloans in Palestine, 80 percent of which go to women.
After learning about FATEN’s flexible terms and low interest rates, she applied for and received a loan for US$4000, powered by 86 Kiva lenders. One of those lenders was Forward Movement Inc.
“I used the loan to buy sewing machines and started running my business,” she says, adding that she was able to begin paying off the loan using profits after only three months. “I even hired my daughter, and my income increased.”
Real change, lasting impact
Shamsha Naveed, the eldest in a family of twelve, was married of at a very early age as was the custom. Not only did Shamsha’s husband torture her both mentally and physically, he was also sexually abusive toward their daughter. One day Shamsha gathered the courage to take a stand for herself and for her daughter and decided to move to her parent’s house. Shamsha didn’t want to burden her family and was determined to become an independent woman. She started working on a small-scale in her village, where she went to people’s homes to stitch clothes for them. She had to go from door to door and often had to hear humiliating comments such as, ‘Why did your husband leave you? You must have been an unsatisfactory housewife!’ and ‘No matter what you do, a woman always needs a man to support her.’ Sometimes the villagers got their work done but refused to pay her. Other times, they would find an excuse to pay her less than the agreed amount. Despite facing all these obstacles, Shamsha did not give up. In fact, as time went on, she became more resolute. Eventually, Shamsha realized that the only way for people to stop misusing her was to start her own business. It was then that she came across Kashf foundation.
Forward Movement Inc. is a lending partner with the Kashf Foundation.
Shamsa visited Kashf to obtain vocational training, took a loan, and is now successfully running her own stitching business. Over the years, she has managed to expand her enterprise enough to employ twenty-five other people, educate her children and arrange her sibling’s weddings.
“My goal now is to save up enough money for a house, just a little space that I can call my own. There is nothing quite as comforting as being the owner of your own home.” Shamsa Naveed, 53