Loan helps internally displaced family create a new life
Khatira was born in Khojali town in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. She worked as a Human Resources Supervisor in a local construction company together with her husband Yasir, whom she met at the company.
“Waiting for the sweetness of married life and planning to have the best future with children to be born, I never thought my life would turn out this way”, says Khatira.
In the night of 25-26 February 1992 the family fled their home when conflict erupted in Khojali.
I never thought my life would turn out this way Khatira recalls how they fled on bare feet through a dense forest. “As a result of the Khojali conflict, my family was uprooted from its native lands”, says Khatira with sadness.
Although they wanted to stay and defend their property and all they had worked so hard for, they had no choice but to leave everything behind.
In the fog of night they reached their relative’s home in Afatli village in Aqdam region. “We lived with our relatives for about two months. But we felt that we were a burden to them. We decided to move from there in order to unburden them as they were already constricted financially. We did not want them to feel inconvenienced in their own home”, explains Khatira.
Khojali was one of the districts most devastated in the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Hundreds of people died during the height of the conflict and Khatira and Yasir were among the fortunate ones to survive in the cross-fire.
Khatira and Yasir decided to move to Mingechevir town located some 323km from the Azerbaijan capital, Baku.
Mingechevir, a secondary urban city, is home to around 20,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Most of them live in former government schools, kindergartens and dormitories.
Khatira and Yasir wanted to settle in the town and find appropriate work to sustain them until they were able to return to the homeland.
The Azeri government placed them in a rowing club where living conditions were far from ideal. Several families shared a kitchen, bathroom and toilet facilities. Privacy was practically non-existent.
Yet in such a challenging living environment the young couple started to shape its family. “Here I have given birth to four children; my three girls and a boy”, says Khatira.
In January 2003, World Vision implemented the Integration of Internally Displaced Persons in Mingechevir Project (IIMP), with the goal to integrate the IDP families into the communities in which they live and improve their social and education situation.
As part of the integration project Khatira and Yasir slowly became part of the wider community - starting when they learned about credit possibilities for starting a business through the group loans of World Vision AzerCredit.
A group loan meant that Khatira could join with other small business entrepreneurs to act as guarantors for each other without having to provide liquid collateral.
In 2004, Khatira took the first cycle in the group loan receiving US$200 to be paid over 10 months with approximately 3.5% monthly (declining) interest.
“I bought haystacks for animal fodder and also bought a stove for making bread and cookies for children”, she says proudly.
With the profit she made from this loan Khatira reapplied for an individual loan of US$400 over the same period to purchase a new cow, hens and chicks.
At that time a new house was built as part of the integration process of IDP families, instilling a new sense of optimism in the family - especially for children, Zarifa 16, Afsane 14, Sevinj, 12 and Farid, 7.
I feel proud that I can supply milk to feed the children in our settlement. I am also proud that I can assist my husband to better our children’s lives Khatira and Yasir participated in the business development training conducted by World Vision AzerCredit, from which point Khatira extended her business and through the profits reaped bought a refrigerator, in order to keep food fresh during the hot summer months.
Eight months later a new loan of US$900 enabled Khatira to purchase two more cows.
“I feel proud that I can supply milk to feed the children in our settlement. I am also proud that I can assist my husband to better our children’s lives. I’m very grateful to Vision Fund AzerCredit as they have assisted me in my difficult days”, says Khatira.
Khatira and her husband purchased a television set to bring some ‘colour’ and entertainment into their home. With this, they felt that they were finally returning to a semblance of normality.
Khatira has since repaid subsequent loans early and her latest loan may well be her last, since she has successfully developed her ‘dairy’ business in such a way that Khatira and Yasir can now support their family.
This hard working woman and her husband are just one of the examples of how a small loan can change a life without hope into a life with substance and meaning – where children can actually thrive, not just exist.
Access to credit and basic business training by AzerCredit, together with hard work and some faith are all small entrepreneurs need to establish sustainable businesses to support their families. Grants are also provided to the poorer sectors of the beneficiary population to start their own businesses and they are given the opportunity to access a continuing line of credit with AzerCredit.
Following the conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region in 1989, more than 800,000 people were displaced from their homes. More than a decade later, some 550,000 still remain displaced, residing in a mixture of camps, railway wagons, single shelters and public buildings spread over 58 of the 63 districts throughout Azerbaijan.
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“Waiting for the sweetness of married life and planning to have the best future with children to be born, I never thought my life would turn out this way”, says Khatira.
In the night of 25-26 February 1992 the family fled their home when conflict erupted in Khojali.
I never thought my life would turn out this way Khatira recalls how they fled on bare feet through a dense forest. “As a result of the Khojali conflict, my family was uprooted from its native lands”, says Khatira with sadness.
Although they wanted to stay and defend their property and all they had worked so hard for, they had no choice but to leave everything behind.
In the fog of night they reached their relative’s home in Afatli village in Aqdam region. “We lived with our relatives for about two months. But we felt that we were a burden to them. We decided to move from there in order to unburden them as they were already constricted financially. We did not want them to feel inconvenienced in their own home”, explains Khatira.
Khojali was one of the districts most devastated in the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Hundreds of people died during the height of the conflict and Khatira and Yasir were among the fortunate ones to survive in the cross-fire.
Khatira and Yasir decided to move to Mingechevir town located some 323km from the Azerbaijan capital, Baku.
Mingechevir, a secondary urban city, is home to around 20,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Most of them live in former government schools, kindergartens and dormitories.
Khatira and Yasir wanted to settle in the town and find appropriate work to sustain them until they were able to return to the homeland.
The Azeri government placed them in a rowing club where living conditions were far from ideal. Several families shared a kitchen, bathroom and toilet facilities. Privacy was practically non-existent.
Yet in such a challenging living environment the young couple started to shape its family. “Here I have given birth to four children; my three girls and a boy”, says Khatira.
In January 2003, World Vision implemented the Integration of Internally Displaced Persons in Mingechevir Project (IIMP), with the goal to integrate the IDP families into the communities in which they live and improve their social and education situation.
As part of the integration project Khatira and Yasir slowly became part of the wider community - starting when they learned about credit possibilities for starting a business through the group loans of World Vision AzerCredit.
A group loan meant that Khatira could join with other small business entrepreneurs to act as guarantors for each other without having to provide liquid collateral.
In 2004, Khatira took the first cycle in the group loan receiving US$200 to be paid over 10 months with approximately 3.5% monthly (declining) interest.
“I bought haystacks for animal fodder and also bought a stove for making bread and cookies for children”, she says proudly.
With the profit she made from this loan Khatira reapplied for an individual loan of US$400 over the same period to purchase a new cow, hens and chicks.
At that time a new house was built as part of the integration process of IDP families, instilling a new sense of optimism in the family - especially for children, Zarifa 16, Afsane 14, Sevinj, 12 and Farid, 7.
I feel proud that I can supply milk to feed the children in our settlement. I am also proud that I can assist my husband to better our children’s lives Khatira and Yasir participated in the business development training conducted by World Vision AzerCredit, from which point Khatira extended her business and through the profits reaped bought a refrigerator, in order to keep food fresh during the hot summer months.
Eight months later a new loan of US$900 enabled Khatira to purchase two more cows.
“I feel proud that I can supply milk to feed the children in our settlement. I am also proud that I can assist my husband to better our children’s lives. I’m very grateful to Vision Fund AzerCredit as they have assisted me in my difficult days”, says Khatira.
Khatira and her husband purchased a television set to bring some ‘colour’ and entertainment into their home. With this, they felt that they were finally returning to a semblance of normality.
Khatira has since repaid subsequent loans early and her latest loan may well be her last, since she has successfully developed her ‘dairy’ business in such a way that Khatira and Yasir can now support their family.
This hard working woman and her husband are just one of the examples of how a small loan can change a life without hope into a life with substance and meaning – where children can actually thrive, not just exist.
Access to credit and basic business training by AzerCredit, together with hard work and some faith are all small entrepreneurs need to establish sustainable businesses to support their families. Grants are also provided to the poorer sectors of the beneficiary population to start their own businesses and they are given the opportunity to access a continuing line of credit with AzerCredit.
Following the conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region in 1989, more than 800,000 people were displaced from their homes. More than a decade later, some 550,000 still remain displaced, residing in a mixture of camps, railway wagons, single shelters and public buildings spread over 58 of the 63 districts throughout Azerbaijan.
-Ends-
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