Demonstrating impact
LIFT’s Microfinance Programme offers a pathway to financial security through its tiered lending structure: Currently, entry-level loans start at USD 45 for basic business activities, standard loans average USD 158 for established small enterprises, while specialized products like the Green Investment Loan reach USD 2,222 for sustainable agricultural investments. This tiered approach enables beneficiaries to progressively build their financial capacity and business growth once they have demonstrated their ability to repay initial loans.
The programme supports those traditionally excluded from formal banking services. By providing accessible financial services to vulnerable families, small-scale manufacturers, and farmers who typically cannot access traditional bank accounts. Beneficiaries receive comprehensive support including business planning guidance, budget management training, and savings education, enabling them to build sustainable financial futures.
Here are some of their success stories:
Success Story-1
Agricultural Transformation: Daw Nyunt
In a small village, Daw Nyunt has transformed her 21-acre farm into a thriving agricultural enterprise through microloans. Her current loan of MMK 800,000 (USD 178) has enabled her to expand both crop cultivation and a ten-cattle livestock business. The financial support allows her to hire up to 15 workers during peak seasons and maintain a profitable jujube orchard. Most importantly, the loans have given her control over when to sell her harvest, maximizing her income potential.
Success Story-2
Small Business Innovation: Daw Mya
From a small fabric shop to a thriving retail and wholesale business, Daw Mya’s entrepreneurial journey with microfinance loans showcases the power of progressive lending. Starting with an MMK 800,000 (USD 178) three-person group loan, she then qualified for a group loan of MMK 1 million (USD 222) and has now qualified for an individual business loan of MMK 5 million (USD 1,110). Her business generates monthly sales of MMK 50 million (USD 11,100), allowing her to employ staff and participate in community savings programmes, while generating a monthly profit of MMK 2 million (USD 444). The success has enabled her to support her family of four while planning future expansion.
Success Story-3
Farming Family Support: U Nay Paing
On a small plot of farmland, U Nay Paing cultivates potatoes, ginger and corn to support his wife and two school-age daughters. Through a LIFT supported Microfinance institution, he has accessed a MMK 700,000 (USD 155) loan as part of a village group lending structure. This modest farmer carefully allocates the funds for essential agricultural inputs like fertilizer and seeds, enabling him to maintain seasonal crop rotations despite water scarcity challenges. Prior to accessing microfinance, his family relied on informal lenders charging exorbitant interest rates of 5-10 per cent monthly, severely limiting their ability to invest in their children's education.
Success Story-4
Business Diversification: Daw Kalyar
In a bustling marketplace, Daw Kalyar has transformed a modest grocery operation into a diversified retail enterprise through DAWN microloans. Starting with a small group loan of MMK 300,000 (USD 67), she has now advanced to her seventh loan cycle with a current loan of MMK 2.2 million (USD 489). As leader of a 10-member borrower group, she has strategically invested these funds to expand her business beyond basic groceries to include electric items, gas refills and various market stalls.
With her husband managing a parallel wholesale palm oil business, they now plan to further diversify into construction materials - a strategy made possible through their consistent loan repayment history and growing business acumen. Their success exemplifies how microfinance can enable small entrepreneurs to build sustainable, multi-faceted businesses that serve community needs while creating economic stability.
Success Story-5
Livestock Enterprise: Daw Yin Yin
Over a decade, Daw Yin Yin has developed a thriving livestock enterprise through 17 cycles of Microfinance group loans, totalling approximately MMK 16 million (USD 3,555). Her most recent loan of MMK 1.5 million (USD 333) has enabled her to significantly expand her pig farming business from a modest operation to a more substantial farm with quality infrastructure. Before the loans, her pig farming generated only about MMK 250,000 (USD 55) every four months. Now, with at least five pigs at a time and improved facilities featuring brick and concrete floors, her income has surged to MMK 3.2 million (USD 711) per four-month period, yielding a net profit of MMK 1.2 million (USD 267). Additionally, she has diversified into chicken farming, which provides a supplementary monthly income of MMK 60,000 (USD 13). She also received livestock training and paired with the financial support she is now able to to provide for her adult children as well as her granddaughter.
These personal experiences exemplify how LIFT's microfinance programme enables entrepreneurs to build sustainable businesses, create employment opportunities, and strengthen local economies across Myanmar. Until the end of 2025, LIFT supported Microfinance Institutions are providing small loans to over half a million people.
