Donations

Ariel Pantollano is a father of three children. He is married to Fe and both of them run a general store in the town of Balamban in Cebu province in the Philippines. We were there ourselves in February this year; it's a beautiful part of the world, but with very low wages. The family sell basic commodities such as eggs, canned foods, noodles, powdered drinks, condiments, biscuits, chips and sweets. Ariel is 34 years old while Fe is 33. They have three children ages 1, 2 and 6 years old. Ariels' store is particularly useful locally as it allows credit to customers who are weekly or monthly paid. His sales are about 6,000 pesos a day (c£87). Through the local co-operative we've helped him restock his store with more saleable items. Ariel will continue his business and sustain what he is earning and better support his family. We know these small roadside stalls well from our own travels, and supporting them keeps families in their communities. Thank you for your support.

April 02, 2019

Carmen Paccha is 30 years old and lives on the outskirts of the city of Loja in southern Ecuador. She is married with three children. Her husband helps her on their smallholding and also works as a builder when he can find work. She grows vegetables on a plot of land gifted to her by her parents, and sells the veg to wholesalers three days a week. She earms around $200 profit per month (about £150, or €175) from selling vegetables. We've helped with her farming inputs so that she can hopefully produce a better harvest and better support her family. THANK YOU.

March 09, 2019

Erika Pazmiño is 22 years old and from the smal town of Catamayo in southern Ecuador. She's a seamstress, and thanks to YOUR help we've been able to assist her in buying a new industrial-quality sewing machine. She makes school uniforms and specialist sports clothes for her local community. Erika has grown her business, sometimes employing assistants, and is now the secretary of her local Textile Association. Her small company makes around 400 USD profit a month, with which she supports her family. We wish her well.

March 06, 2019

Luis Joaquin Chávez Yaselga is 31 years old and a farmer. He lives in San Blas de Urcuquí in Ecuador. He and his ex-partner have one son. He has been farming from a very young age and has 20 years experience in this business. We're happy to be support him in his small farming venture, thanks to your generosity. Your support will help him in 2019 with farming inputs, buying twine, hiring labourers, maintaining the land with a tractor, and other farming expenses. With this extra help he will hopefully achieve a good price at harvest and be better able to support himself and his family. Thank you!

February 12, 2019

Mr. Mon Met is a farmer from Bovel District, Battambang Province., Cambodia. He is 32 years old and has one child, aged 10 years old who is at school. He grows wet season rice for sale every year on his nine hectares of land. We're helping him this year with his farming costs. Mr. Mon farms wet season rice (in what would be called 'summer' in the UK). As his rice paddy has no irrigation system, he only plants one harvest per year, which takes 6 months before he is able to collect his produce of 2.5 tones per hectare. The middlemen buys the harvest directly from his farm. We're helping him with ploughing and threshing costs to enable him to better support himself and his family. We know the Battambang area, and wish him and the family well.

February 11, 2019

One child is dying EVERY TEN MINUTES from malnutrition / preventable disease in Yemen (says the UN), yet Europe seems more obsessed with Brexit than providing meaningful aid. We've made another small donation today, and ask others to consider doing the same. It's a ghastly, and preventable situation that should horrify us all.

December 15, 2018

Holly Hedge Animal Sanctuary is a Bristol based independent charity that rescues and rehomes unwanted, abandoned and often mistreated cats and dogs. They receive no funding from the government or National Lottery and rely on the generosity and goodwill of their supporters to keep their kennel and cattery doors open. They rescue and rehome around 800 animals each year finding them loving and responsible new homes, and we're happy to have been able to help them with a donation. Many of our customers come from the Bristol hinterland, and it felt like the right choice for our donation this week. The dog pictured is called Pip and is looking for a home - could you help?

December 03, 2018

We've made a Christmas donation to the Wildwood Trust - who are working to try and save the red squirrel from its prediction extinction in the UK. They breed squirrels in captivity, and release them in an appropriate and managed way in nature conservancy areas in North Wales and on Anglesey. We think they do great work and are happy to help. We also learned that baby squirrels are called 'kittens'! red squirrel numbers are estimated to be down to around 10 000 in Wales (that's low) and we'd love to see them get back to where they used to be.

November 29, 2018

Universal Aid for Children, Ukraine is a charity that supports children leaving the Care System of Ukraine. Although children in orphanages often (and rightly) receive charity support, we like the fact that this charity has a specific focus on supporting teens as they graduate from orphanages into adult life. We've family members who work daily with such vulnerable kids in the UK, and we know that it's a crucial time to get a good start in life. We've decided to sponsor one individual, Nikita, for 6 months as he makes his way in the world. The monthly sum that we send him will give him a monthly stipend, and assist with getting secure housing, education and medical supplies. Nikita is going to college to study as a welder, and cares for his grandfather (who is poor health). At weekends he works as a labourer for a renovation company. We wish him well, and will post updates via the Under the Thatch Facebook page of his progress. Thank you for making this sponsorship possible by holidaying Under the Thatch.

November 09, 2018

UNICEF estimate that a child dies from malnutrition in Yemen every 10 minutes. Unfortunately we don't have the power to stop the UK (and other) governments selling the arms to Saudi Arabia that are directly influencing the humanitarian crisis there. We're appalled by the irony that while UK/ European governments are pumping public money into arts projects to (rightly) commemorate the 1918 Armistice, some of those countries also benefit hugely from the taxes paid on immense arms sales to places like Saudi and Israel, with weapons used against civilians. The tax profit (in part) from these arms sales is used for arts and other projects to remind us of the futility of war. This doesn't seem right, and we urge everyone to write to their politician/s to prevent the sale of weapons to regimes who have been proven to use them inappropriately. In the meantime 400 00 children are at risk of death from acute malnutrition, and all we can do is shout..and send a small amount of aid. We're not comfortable using a distressing image like the one shown. But it's a recent and real photo, and we want the world to wake up to the Yemen crisis. If you're able to also make a donation, no matter how small, we encourage you to do so via the link or https://www.unicef.ie/our_work/emergency/yemen-crisis/

November 08, 2018

Jeneffer Flores is mother of three children aged between 12 and 23 years old in Bogo City, Cebu, Philippines. She has been separated from her husband for about 10 years. She has been working as a village treasurer for 5 years. To earn an additional income, she also sells food items in the city of Bogo in Cebu province. She sells affordable noodle dishes and frozen foods. Jennefer wants nothing more than to provide a better quality of life for her children and to give them all to highest education. Jennefer sells pre-packed dishes in large plastic containers. Her regular customers are market vendors, sales ladies, pedicab drivers and small store owners. She has been in this business for the past four years now. She earns between 500 and 1,500 pesos a day (about £7 - £21). She also sells snacks like steamed buns, coconut juice and fried peanuts. She wakes up early to cook her daily dishes and her children help her in preparing the ingredients. She used to hire pedicab drivers to transport her products. But now she has her own vehicle. Jennefer knows how to drive so she recently acquired a single motorcycle on credit and has also purchased a side car. We're helping her pay for the side car and to pay for the tuition and school projects of her second child. We wish her well - and may even pop by to say Hi as we'll be in the Philippines ourselves soon!

October 03, 2018

Marietta is married to Roy (both 52), and they live in San Regemio, Cebu. Philippines. They've one adopted daughter, after having unfortunately having lost their son to illness, age 16. They run and manage a shop near a sea port and it is their main source of income to deal with their living expenses. The couple manage a shop stall where they sell food items such as cup noodles, biscuits, chips, bottled water, hot and cold drinks, powdered drinks, hygiene products etc. She purchases most of her stock from the big stores in Bogo city because the prices there are much cheaper. Her shop is open 24 hours a day at the Hagnaya port. The couple work shift duties to manage their business hours. Most of their customers are passengers and ship workers. They have been in this business for 20 years now. Her daily sales range from 3,000 to 5,000 pesos (about £42 - £70). Along with others, we're helping her purchase 12 sacks of quality rice that cost roughly 33,000 pesos (about £462). She will use the rest of the funds to restock her shop with more items such as cup noodles, biscuits and bottled water. We wish the family well.

October 02, 2018

Ali Raza is 23 years old. He lives in Lahore, Pakistan with his parents, three brothers and one sister. He pays for the educational expenses of his sister and one brother. Ali supports his family by stitching men’s clothes and he earns £131 per month. His father also works and earn £125 per month. Ali’s income is not enough for supporting his family and saving up for his future to have a family of his own. Ali Raza really wants his siblings to have the best opportunities in life. We're helping him purchase fabrics and sewing materials to help him bring prosperity to his family.

September 17, 2018

Mr. Pheak Krahn is 27 years old, he has been as farmer for over four years in Ma Nork Village, Talos Commune, Cambodia. He grows his wet season rice paddy on a farmland that is five hectares. He collects three tons of crops per hectare to sell on the market. It takes a period of six months for the rice paddy crops to get ready for harvesting. As the rice paddy are harvested the crops are sold directly to a local merchant. We're helping him buy further land to expand his wet season rice paddy farming. With the extra plot of land he expects to get around one more ton of rice paddy to sell on the market and thereby help his family. We wish him well.

September 17, 2018

Living in the locality of Islam Abad in Lahore, Pakistan, Waqas is a 25-year-old man who works as a tailor. His family of 8 is dependent on him. He has parents, four sisters and one brother. Three of his sisters are still going to school. His father works and earns £63 per month. Faced with rising costs and increasing expenditures, Waqas earns barely enough to make end meet. He earns £114 per month. He sews gents and readymade clothes. He is determined to educate his sisters and wants to improvise his business. We're helping him buy fabric and sewing supplies to improve the family income.

August 30, 2018

Mr. Sambath An from Prek Norin, Cambodia is 30 years old and has two children, age 7 and 2. Only his older child is currently in school. He has been a farmer for over 10 years and at the moment he cultivates rice crops on two hectares of land. Once those crops have been harvested he grows green beans on the same land and he yields around 800 kilograms per hectare. To enable him to produce more rice to sell, he also rents another plot of land (around two more hectares). This costs him $300 per year. We're helping him buy an additional hectare of rice paddy to grow this dry season rice, and to help his family.

August 30, 2018

Emily is 31 years old and divorced with two children, living in Mangochi, Malawi. She sells groceries. We've helped her buy additional inventory so that she might better provide for her family. She has been running her grocery stall for ten years now, and with more capital she should be able to better support herself and her children - we wish her well.

August 16, 2018

Honeylyn Nasataya is a 41-year-old, married with two children age 8 and 13 years old. Both of her children are attending school in the town of Bogo in Cebu province in the Philippines. She is married to Vincent Aris who is a 41-year-old seaman. Honeylyn started a business in 2011 selling organic honey. She rented a small space in the town centre where she also sells other products like food snacks and cold drinks. She has since expanded her business to sell cosmetics, lotions/beauty and wellness products. On a daily basis her sales are between 800 to 1,500 pesos (£11 to £21). She hires one of her relative to help her in the shop. To diversify her income further she hopes to start printing airline tickets and we've helped her to install an internet connection and buy two printers. We wish her well.

July 30, 2018

Dang Van Toan is a 28 year old farmer from Moc Chau, a rural district in northwest Vietnam, where he lives with his wife and 5 year old daughter. He and his wife farm 4000 square meters of land where they produce plums and rice, which are sold to the local community. They make a profit of about $134 a month. We're helping them buy farming inputs to run the farm and hopefully increase yield. If they're successful in producing more plums and rice they can buy further land and hopefully further improve their lot. We wish them well.

July 22, 2018

German Quito is a small-scale coffee farmer from the small town of Palanda which is in the province of Zamora Chinchipe in southern Ecuador. He is married with five children, the younger three attend school and still live at home. Don German has around 30 years of experience of farming independently. Before this he worked as an agricultural labourer on local farms saving his money until he could afford to buy his own plot of land of around one hectare. He now has around two hectares. We've helped him to pay two labourers to help him harvest two hectares of coffee bushes. He estimates that his monthly income averages around $500.

July 13, 2018

Mrs. Poch Thoun and her husband have been working as farmers for over 20 years in Sdey Steng Village, Talas Commune, Cambodia. We've helped them buy a plot of land to grow rice, and improve their family income. They grow long-term rice on 10 hectares of land and this enables them to collect a yield of three tons per hectare to sell on the market. Having this extra land will allow her to harvest an extra two tons of crops and have a more stable income. We wish them well.

July 09, 2018

Constance lives with her family in the suburb of Johannesburg in Norton, Zimbabwe. She is 33 years old and is a mother of four. Two of her children are going to school and the other two are still too young. She has a flea market stall at Norton shopping centre in which she sells clothes like jeans, jackets and t-shirts. She restocks her products from Mozambique, usually once a week. With this business she has been able to pay the school fees for her children as well as providing bus fare to and from school. She started this business 3 years ago, and we've helped her restock to further improve trade, and support her family. Thank you UTT guests.

July 01, 2018

Mr. Mao Thon is 51 years old and lives in Ansong Sok Village, Prek Norin Commune, Cambodia. He has been a farmer for over 20 years. He and his wife have a hectare of rice and 10 hectares of sweetcorn. Through his farming he creates 10 seasonal jobs. In the rainy season he catches and sells fish to make extra income for his family - around $10 a day. We've been able to help him develop his maize farming, buy diesel for the tractor, and to employ local labour. Thank you UTT guests!

June 26, 2018

Robert Madrid, 45 year runs a small retail business in the village of Ibo, Toledo city, Philippines. He is married and has three children aged 11, 14 and 17 years old who are all still at school. Robert opened a business two years ago selling animal feeds, vitamins and medicines. He rents the premises the for 8,000 pesos a month. His shop is open everyday from 6:30 in the morning and closes at 7:30 in the evening. He has one employee. We're helping him buy in a higher volume of animal feeds to meet the demand of his fast growing customer base, so that he can better support his family. We wish him well, and thank the UTT guests that have made this possible.

June 17, 2018

Loreta Maravilles is 54 years old, with four children. Two of her children and four grandchildren lives with her in Poblacion, Dumanjug in the Cebu province. Loreta runs a market stall that sells vegetables, spices and food seasonings. At 4 in the morning Loreta wakes up and opens her stall as she has regular restaurant owners who purchase their ingredients at dawn. She buys most of her spices in Carbon market, and her vegetables from Mantalongon, at the Barili market. Twice a week she goes to the Carbon market and purchase spices like onions, garlic and tomatoes. She pays about 8,000 pesos (about £114) per purchase. For her vegetables, she has a regular supplier who delivers directly to her stall once a week. She has been running her business for 30 years now. On average she earns 6,000 pesos (about £85). She is helped by two of her children and her grandchildren whenever they don’t have classes. Her husband Agustine manages their 3 hectares of farm land where he grows maize, eggplants, squash, tomatoes and okra. He hires two full-time workers who help him take care of his crops. Some of his harvested crops are sold directly to his wife’s stall and the rest are sold at Carbon market. We've helped the family buy farm materials and to pay the salary of the two farm workers. We're happy to help this hard-working family, and thank UTT guests for their support.

June 17, 2018

Mohammed Allan is 21 years old. He lives with his parents and his four brothers in Kufr Aqab near Ramallah. We've been watching, in despair, the outrageous recent attacks on Palestinian civilians. These people need much more assistance than merely economic aid, but great buildings are built from small bricks, and we're happy to support another young entrepreneur there. Mohammed owns a greengrocer shop. He started his business a year ago and he now sells many kinds of fruit and vegetables to local customers. He pays 300 dollars a month in rent for his shop. Along with others we're helping him increase stocks and to renovate his small shop. His monthly profit is around 600 dollars (c£450).

June 09, 2018

Maria Delilah Alvarez is a 49 year old woman married to fisherman Manuel (51). They have one child age who is 10 years old and live in a village of Arpili, near Balamban in Cebu province of the Philippines. Maria Delilah has, up until now, been a housewife. Now that her child is able to take care of herself, she has decided to start a small business selling consumable goods and educational supplies. She has found a vacant stall near a local elementary school and the rent is 2,500 pesos (£36) a month. We're helping her furnish and stock the shop. She hopes to have it ready for the opening of the new school term, and we wish her well.

June 03, 2018

We couldn't resist the warm smile of Sokun Hing from Prek Norin, Cambodia, and are happy to help him help his family through support for his farm business. Mr Sokun is 30 years old and has two children, aged 1 and 3 years old. He and his wife grow wet season rice on five hectares of land. When their rice has been harvested they will also grow green beans on the same land and get around 800 kilograms of crops per hectare to sell. In order to farm their rice and green beans we're help[ing them buy farm materials such as fertiliser and diesel for the tractor that helps them plough and harvest. We know Cambodia well, and wish this family the very best.

May 30, 2018

Mary Tembo ,46 years old, lives in Kafue, Zambia. She is married and has four children who are in school. She runs a 'nthemba' (small grocery stall) selling salt, eggs and ice blocks. We've helped her increase her stocks of soap, containers for making ice blocks and eggs for her stall. Her customers come from her neighbourhood. From the profits of her sales, she hopes to see her business grow into a larger grocery stall that will enable her to build a house for her family. Mary was not able to contribute financially to her family before she started her small business. Now she is able to support her children - and we're grateful to UTT customers for being a part of that.

May 26, 2018

Maria Theresa Vidal is a 37 year old married woman who works as a civil servant in Cebu, Philippines and also runs a small water delivery business with her husband. She has one child who goes to school in Tunghaan. Her husband, Enefer, is 38 years old and manages their water delivery business. The couple also own a car that they rent out £7.80 a day. At night Enefer delivers a total of 40 gallons of water per week to seven different households. For this he earns 600 pesos (about £8.50) a week. He purchases the water by the gallon from his trusted water refilling station. He delivers at night since their car is rented out for the whole day. Enefer wants to increase his deliveries to earn more income. We're helping them buy a second-hand vehicle to use for their water delivery business. Maria Theresa hopes their business will continue to grow in the future so she can provide a better standard of living for their child.

May 24, 2018

Mr. Ratha Nhol is 34 years old and he has been a farmer for over 10 years in Reachdoun Koe Village, Prek Norin Commune, Cambodia. He currently grows rice on 11 hectares of land. As well as rice farming he also grows green beans on another three hectares of land. Along with others, we're helping him purchase good quality seeds and diesel for his tractor to plough the land, and some money to employ others to cover the harvesting costs (he rents a thresher to harvest his rice crops). We wish him and his family well, and thank UTT guests who've made this assistance possible.

May 13, 2018

Betty Gaadza is a 48 year old widowed mother of three children. She lives in Chitungwiza in Zimbabwe. Betty runs a business selling blankets, duvets and various products in Mozambique. She restocks materials from Harare town, Zambia, and at times Namibia. She has one employee who helps her in carrying and selling blankets and duvets. Along with others we've assisted Betty via Thrive Microfinance to restock more materials for her business. We wish her well, and thank the UTT guests that made this possible.

May 05, 2018

Today we've supported the work of Welsh charity 'Hazina' in Tasmania - they are a non-profit making organisation (UK Charity) working with the aim to alleviate poverty, ensure clean and accessible water supply for the population and the agricultural needs, improve education, progress the women’s situation and work towards sustainable business activities in the village of Bangalala in the Same distinct of Tanzania. We know Marit, who owns UTT Gwel y Mynydd, who volunteers for the charity, and are happy to support her in the good work that Hazina achieves. Photo - some of the girls now schooled thanks to Hazina.

April 25, 2018

Khaled is 20 years old. He lives with his parents in a town called Kofr Aldan located near Jenin in Palestine. He has been working in construction since finishing high school. He was not able to continue his education because he couldn’t afford the fees so he had to work to help himself and his family to cover their expenses. To support his family, Khaled decided to start his own business and he wants to open a café in his town. He plans to offer hot and cold drinks, light snacks and he also plans to have some billiard tables for his customers to use. We've helped him, along with others, bu the furniture needed for his café. He wants to be able to generate a stable income for his family and would like to be able to afford to go back to college and finish his education.

April 20, 2018

Don Kevin Tocto is a 20-year-old entrepreneur who has been running his own video shop for 3 years or so. He lives in the quiet city of Loja in southern Ecuador. He is also studying at the university. His business started with his own savings and a loan from his aunt. When he started, there was little merchandise and the money he earned was not enough even to cover his basic expenses. Nowadays, his business has grown considerably. He has added some other items such as garments, bazaar products, and collection pieces as well as some technological, audio, and video products, making the store a nice shopping place for his clients. The main difficulty he faces is that has not been able to find someone he can trust to help him in his business, so sometimes, he has to close his shop to meet his academic obligations. His income is $2,580, leaving him an approximate monthly profit to live on of $604. Don Kevin requested help to buy video games on wholesale and (along with others) we're happy to help.

April 16, 2018

We're huge fans of the wonderful Danny Minnie's Restaurant in West Donegal (Ireland)- somewhere that often pops up in the Visitor Book comments for our guests staying at UTT Donegal Cottages. Every year they have a Coffee Morning to raise funds for the Irish Cancer Society - it's a hugely successful event that attracts hundreds of people to taste the amazing cakes their pastry chefs make - and last year over €2000 was donated to charity. Danny Minnie's put on the drinks and the lovely location, and we donated €120 to help with ingredients for making some of the delicious cakes they lay on. We've yet to hear how much they helped raise but the place was packed out, great craic and the cakes were FABULOUS! Thanks for helping us help the important work of the Irish Cancer Society.

April 02, 2018

Under the Thatch are so pleased to be able to help raise £3000 to fund plastic free New Quay. Our donation will help promote the village's new Plastic Free status to visitors, residents and businesses alike in a clear and consistent way so that everyone knows New Quay is an 'avoidable single-use' Plastic Free Community. It is a cause that is close to our heart as we have properties in and near New Quay and aligns closely with UTT's core values.

April 01, 2018

María Loayza is from the coastal province of El Oro in southern Ecuador. She is married with two children who are both in school. Doña María is a florist. She offers floral arrangements and bouquets, both natural and artificial works made from foam as gifts for weddings, piñatas, and christenings. Doña María works from home, and along with others via Care International we're helping her decorate and remodel her flower shop so that she can attract more customers and better support her family.

March 29, 2018

Ninfa Delicia Chuncho lives in the city of Loja in southern Ecuador. She is a widow with three adult daughters and two adult sons all of whom are married and independent. However, she has two grandchildren who live with her. Doña Ninfa has been running a food market stall in one of the municipality markets for the past ten years or so. Prior to that, she used to sell food as a street hawker, but her customers encouraged her to apply for a stall at the market. Doña Ninfa feels proud to have given her children a good education and even helped to cover her grandchildren’s education. We're helping her buy ingredients in bulk for her food market stall. This includes several sacks of rice, sugar, flour and cartons of cooking oil.

March 26, 2018

Estela Victoria Vicente lives in the small town of Catamayo in Ecuador. She has four adult and independent children. Doña Estela has run a restaurant for the last 35 years or so. She provides breakfasts and lunches to workers employed in a local sugar factory. She works from 7 am to 6pm. Her daughter and an assistant help her from Mondays to Fridays. On Saturdays and Sundays she only works with her daughter. When she started the restaurant was quite small but it has grown because of the custom from the sugar company - she has around 100 customers each day and she has bought all her own chairs, tables and other furniture and equipment. Doña Estela earns a net profit of around $305 each month. We've helped her buy her ingredients in bulk, which saves her money and helps her increase her small profit. We wish her well with the business.

February 24, 2018

Rosemary from Kalomo in Zambiais widowed and has five children who are in school. She runs a small grocery stall in her community selling washing soap, assorted sweets, sugar and roasted ground nuts. She started this business about 12 years ago so that she could sustain the livelihood of her family. Along with others, we're helping her increase stocks for her shop. If the shop is successful it will help her pay her school fees, and to save to eventually build her own family home. As she is widowed she is the sole 'breadwinner' for the family, and we're very happy to help.

February 02, 2018

Mrs. Be Thi Trang is 21 years old. She lives in Song Cau ward, Bac Kan, Vietnam. She has opened a shoe shop in the market to earn a living and to support herself, her parents and her daughter. The development agency that is assisting her project reports that she has had to live extremely frugally in order to be able to support her family, and in particular to pay her daughter's tuition fees. Along with others, we're helping her invest more money in stock to increase her turnover and profitability. We wish her well, and thank the UTT guests who have made this possible - helping a family to improve their lot.

January 26, 2018

Fabian Vallejo quinteros is a single father to his young son. He lives in Atuntaqui, Equador and cooks food in a coal oven for a living. He has been doing this for 15 years and with the income he earns from this business he can cover his and his son’s costs of living. Along with others we've helped him buy an industrial cooker, and tables and chairs for his business. Fabián has more or less 30 regular customers who come for the type of food he offers. He works in the evening and night. He has plans to renovate the building and improve his service, with the aim of increasing the number of regular customers. We wish him the very best in improving his business to assist in bringing up his son.

January 24, 2018

Pov Chan is 36 years old and has two children, aged 2 and 8 years old. They live in Doung Chenh Village, O Char Commune, Cambodia, and the eldest child attends school. Pov Chan runs a business selling general store items in bulk to his customers. He needs to buy new stock every week at the local market in order to provide for his customers in other districts. He also needs to buy new stock every day from the Cambodia-Thai border. He uses his own minivan to deliver the stock. He buys and sells items such as soft drinks, water and other items. He hires 2 employees to assist him in picking up and dropping off the stock. Each of them earns up to $8 a day from this work. He earns around $40 a day from his business and this is the main source of income for his family. We've helped him increase his stock and improve the viability of his business, and family income.

January 07, 2018

Winnet Ngwendere is a young woman aged 28 from Glen Norah, a suburb in Harare. She is married and has three boys. Winnet sells small items in bulk like phone batteries, chargers, covers and other phone accessories. She sources her stock from South Africa and China, and along with her husband they rent a shop in central Harare. Her business is mostly wholesale, selling a substantial amount of stock, but at a small profit. The business means that the family can send their children to a good school. We've helped Winnet to start to stock mobile phones as well as accessories, which she will source from Dubai. Selling this stock on will enable her to keep her boys in school and support her family. We're happy to help, and thank UTT guests for making this possible.

December 20, 2017

Yolanda Maigua is 48 years old. She lives in the Cotacachi district of Ecuador. She is a widow and lives with her daughter and granddaughter, whom she supports financially. Her daughter is studying at university. Yolanda has been making and selling handicrafts since she was 29 years old. She sells necklaces and shawls between 5 and 15 dollars (bags go for between 15 and 30 dollars). Through her business she earns around $200 a month. We've helped her buy accessories like coral and plastic rosary beads to make into necklaces and earrings, and to repair the roof of her house which had been damaged by heavy rains. She hopes to increase sales of her crafts to allow her daughter finish her studies and to improve life for her granddaughter in 2018. We wish her all the best.

December 16, 2017

We know Cambodia well (our son was born in the capital), and we love the Cambodian people, who seem to be almost universally good-natured and kind. Sinoun Chhorn lives in O Korky Village, Oda Commune, Cambodia. She is 32 years old and she has been a farmer for several years. Currently she and her husband farm maize on around five hectares of land. They can farm their maize twice a year. and it takes them around 90 days to harvest the crops. We've helped them buy fertilizer and diesel for their tractor to enable them to plough the land to cover their harvest costs and help their family. Thank you, UTT guests, for helping this family to help themselves.

December 09, 2017

Yahya Daoud is 57 years old. He lives in Al-Sheikh Radwan neighborhood located in the Gaza strip in Palestine He is married and has five sons and two daughters. Four of his children are married and three still live with their parents. Yahya started up his own business almost 10 years ago now. He owns a store selling furniture. He buys his stock from wholesalers and then sells it on the local market. He currently earns around $500 per month. We've helped him buy in more stock including beds, closets, desks and dining furniture. With this investment he can increase his earnings and become more financially stable, and help his son to get married. We're grateful to UTT guests for their support.

December 03, 2017

Clara Phiri lives in the Nyimba district of Eastern Zambia. She is 38 years old, married and has three children who are in school. With friends she also helps look after a small group of orphans. Clara runs a grocery stall selling bathing soap, washing soap, cooking oil and candles. We've been able to assist her top up her business capital and order stocks for her stall. With more stock she hopes to increase profits, and help her family. Thank you UTT guests!

November 20, 2017

Ihab is 20 years old. He lives in Thnaba, which is located in Tulkarem in Palestine with his family. His family owns 7 acres of farming land where he has installed a green house, where he grows cucumbers. His father and brothers help him with his farming activity. He has been doing this for 4 years now. Along with others we've helped them buy farming products such as fertilizers and seedlings in the hope that they'll be able to increase the family income from c$800 per month - we wish Ihab well; it's great to see young people starting businesses!

November 11, 2017