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Yallingup, Western Australia
Email:
viti@bearfruit.com.au
Website:
http://www.bearfruit.com.au
Immaterial of the size of a business access to loans has the potential to change women’s lives.
Question 2.4
was profound in the context of truly understanding why HwH as an organisation
matters. When you write the questions down, observe village life from the back of a scooter in
stark contrast to one’s own, your senses absorb a mirage of: sights, sounds and smells that were
replicated across the villages we visited or passed through. The opportunity to then sit down and
ask village participants the question, ‘What difference has this loan/s made to your life, was
humbling. Collectively hearing firsthand just how their lives have changed will remain and
confirms to me that business woman globally have much to learn from one another and all it
takes is the willingness to develop meaningful relationships for sharing.
a.
Szalay (
2008) provides a broader perspective on the potential for business to bring about
change. As a cooperative they “…built dugwell at the 2
nd
group’s place is very successful.
The people living in the surroundings are very happy because they can save a lot of time
and have more water they can use.”
b.
“
Finally
woman from the 2003 – 2005 fieldwork nominated what they really liked about
owning their own business. “The overwhelming response was the independence and
freedom that it gave. Important to the women at start-up, in order of importance, were
being their own boss, financial independence, balance between work and family.
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Women ineligible for traditional bank loans internationally.
In order to
e
stablish my first small business in the 1970’s, as a woman, I was not able to get
access to a bank loan through traditional means. Therefore, I had to approach a family member
for that loan which was a replication of how my mother attained her business loan in the 1960’s.
In early 2000 my husband and I established PVS Consulting Services Pty Ltd. However, when I
wished to establish Bear Fruit under the umbrella of this company independently (with registered
logo and trademark) I had to find alternative employment as an employee to obtain a loan. The
purpose for that loan was to purchase a rural block to sell in 18 months’ time so I could establish
my Bear Fruit structure independently without debt and the opportunity to establish a ‘social
business arm’ within that structure.
a.
Husock,
(2007) comments that traditional state owned banks in the developing world,
“…tendered to steer away from the rural poor, who were difficult to reach, had few
assets for collateral and were considered high-risk borrowers.” Husock also brings into
view the relationship that operated between the rural poor and money lenders. One
that remains embedded in “…high transaction costs and financial risks of lending to the
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Still & Simmons, (2006), p.87