Annette Namenzi's Story

Annette Namenzi used to be a maid in Kampala, Uganda. But to improve her standard of living, feed her children properly, and pay for their school fees, she decided to start her own business as a charcoal seller.

She joined a trust group comprising neighbourhood women who took out small business loans through Faulu, a part of Opportunity International, and funeral insurance developed by MicroEnsure. Her first loan was used to buy more stock and her business began to prosper.

But then her eldest son fell ill with malaria, and in spite of hospital treatment and her personal care, he died aged just thirteen. In order to look after her son, Annette was forced to abandon her expanding business, and because she lost her income, she was forced to take her children out of school. This could have been a catastrophe for a micro entrepreneur in struggling to make a living Kampala.

However, Annette's insurance included funeral benefit for her family members,
and she was able to use her payout to begin the journey to financial recovery.

"I had to close the business for two weeks, so we didn't have any money. My children were wondering if they would be able to go to school and how they were going to eat."

Today, Annette Namenzi sits again by the roadside selling charcoal as she used to do. Her sadness remains over the loss of her son, but she feels fortunate that she had the safety net of microinsurance to help her through troubled financial and emotional times.

"I feel peace because of insurance," she said. "I know that anything can happen to my business or my family, but I can continue to go on."