The Middle East is home to several countries where poor women’s economic access is more severely limited than in less traditional societies. Jordan is considered a middle income country by world standards, yet the opportunities for women to earn a living outside the home are almost non-existent.

Meet Fatin, a client of WWB network member, Microfund for Women. She qualified for an individual loan from MFW, which meant that she did not have to be part of a group and be limited by its loan size. Individual loans at MFW begin at $600. The money has enabled Fatin to run a successful loofah business with her husband. Being a businesswoman has changed her life in small ways and big. While Fatin values the importance of her household and her children, she has also learned to prioritize her business. For example, if she has many loofah orders but also needs to do laundry, Fatin attends to her customers before tackling her personal chores. She even brings in outside help to clean the house in the summer when she has a high volume of loofah orders. Fatin enjoys working to build her own business, rather than simply working for a salary, because of the flexibility this provides; if she needs to receive a guest, cook or run an errand, she can arrive late to work without having to answer to anyone.

Fatin notes how dramatically things are changing for women in Jordan. Nowadays more than ever, she says, the economic situation dictates that women must work. The days of men as the sole family breadwinners, leaving women at home to take care of the house, are over. Fatin believes these developments are absolutely necessary, and cannot imagine what her life would have been like without access to that first 600 dollar loan.