It’s a fact. When women are successful, the lives of their families are enriched and their communities are empowered.
With women accounting to for 40 percent of household heads in Jamaica, according to the Planning Institute of Jamaica, their role in the family and in their communities means they are more than nurturers. They are providers too.
Therefore, being able to maintain independence is important to women in Jamaica, and through microfinance many women have been able to gain and maintain their autonomy. Women who are micro business owners are able to expand their businesses, providing employment for community members in the process, and invest in their children’s health and education.
At JNSBL, some 75 percent of loans go to women, and while men may play roles in these businesses, it is women who drive them and make the strategic decisions about their operation.
From their homes, the marketplace, corner shops and salons and several other areas of business, female entrepreneurs form the backbone of the 460,000-strong micro business sector in Jamaica, playing a significant role in employment and economic productivity.
By providing affordable loans that can be accessed quickly and without the need for traditional collateral JNSBL is supporting a vital segment of the Jamaican business sector which is important to the country’s prosperity.
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