“Bobo the Baker,” as he is affectionately called by his community, grew up in a life ravaged by war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was in early 2006 that he finally fled violence and destruction in his home and began a search for safety for himself, his wife, and his young daughter.

When he first arrived to the Meheba Refugee Settlement in Zambia, Bobo opened a small bakery with two other refugees but conflicts caused the venture to fail. Never one to let difficulty get in his way, Bobo approached the FORGE Microfinance Institute (FMI) for funds and direction in opening his own bakery. After attending FMI Business Education Workshops and receiving a small “micro” loan from FMI, Bobo began to re-build his bakery from the ground up.

With the new education and the loan, Bobo stopped paying rent on his shop and bought it outright, increasing up-front costs, but decreasing fixed costs. His income has shot up by more than 750%. He has hired employees and is currently planning to purchase another bakery to keep up with the demand for his breads, cakes, pastries.

Bobo’s life has improved immensely, but the benefits don’t stop there. His own success has touched the lives around him and those lives have, in turn, touched hundreds more. ONE success stimulates other success and bad situations can always improve.

-Peter C. D’Aleo
Program Director, FORGE Microfinance Institute (ONE Partner)
www.FORGEnow.org