“I feel blessed for working with Sis Shirley, the Development Facilitator (DF) working in our centre, because she encourages us to save more if we want to be successful.”
Nompiliso was born in March 1965 and grew up in a deep rural village of the Eastern Cape Province. She joined SEF in 2014 taking a loan of R1600, which she paid without missing a payment. She has now grown her loan size to R22000.

Nompiliso grows cabbages in her garden, and also stocks various clothes in bundles, which she then sells to her customers in the village and surrounding areas. When asked why she decided to join SEF, Nompiliso immediately mentioned her three children. Ensuring that they received an education and enough to eat each day was Nompiliso’s top priority.

Nompiliso credits her ability to save as one of the major reasons for her success: “I feel blessed for working with Sis Shirley, the Development Facilitator (DF) working in our centre, because she encourages us to save more if we want to be successful.”

“Before joining SEF, things were tough at home. We sometimes slept without having anything to eat. Since SEF came to my village, everything is running perfectly at home… I am now planning to build a house of six rooms, which I can share with all my children. I know I will manage to build the house of my dreams, because I am planning to increase my savings- my current balance is R4450.”