As Cecelia stepped inside the humble house made of soil bricks, the laughter of school children walking to fetch water in the distance echoed off the metal roof.

Faraja wept and fell to her knees, she didn’t have the strength to go on. As she looked down at the dusty road before her, she came up with a plan to commit suicide.

My husband was always abusive, challenging me to contribute in meeting the family's expenses. He accused me of being lazy, but I couldn’t find a job.

For many women in the Kicukiro Women’s Group, the TLAfrica micro-loan program saved their life. As one member explains, “I was miserable!"