A Woman of Many Talents (And Owner of Three Businesses)

Meet Menime Pereira, Samoa

62 year old Menime Pereira is a proud mother of three children who have all graduated from school and are now living better lives. Menime shares that this progress was made possible through her hard work and the support of our microfinance partner South Pacific Business Development (SPBD).

Menime is from Lepea, Samoa and is one of our most inspiring clients. She joined the Lepea Centre in September of 2009. Since then, she has borrowed and repaid a total of 18 loans.

“Being humble and working hard toward your dream will motivate you each day.”

She uses her SPBD loans to run not one, but three businesses. Menime:

• Runs a takeaway restaurant

• Manages a school canteen during school seasons

• Sells clothing including puletasi (traditional two-piece formal outfits for Samoan, Tongan, and Fijian women and girls, consisting of a patterned top (tunic) and a matching long wrap skirt (ʻie lavalava)) and second-hand items imported from overseas

In her spare time, as the Centre Chief of the Lepea Centre, Menime teaches her members how to repay their loans on time. Her centre has never missed a weekly payment, and today the minimum loan amount in the centre shows strong growth and discipline among members.

Through SPBD, Menime has been able to build a separate business space, buy cars for her family, and improve their home. She encourages others by saying, “Being humble and working hard toward your dream will motivate you each day.”