Extraordinary Woman: Meet Mary

BY BRAC USA

This story is the fourth of five in our Extraordinary Women series. Learn more about this campaign and help raise $1 million for Extraordinary Women.

Meet Mary, a mother, entrepreneur, HIV survivor, and community hero from Lugazi, a village in the Buikwe District of Uganda. Many years ago, Mary’s husband died. Soon after, she became sick. She went to the doctor, and was told that she had HIV. 

“I had all the symptoms of an HIV-positive person, like losing weight, rashes, and coughing,” Mary remembers. She endured not only the disease but also the way her community stigmatized her. “They did not want to be with me or eat with me,” she says. She felt isolated and alone. 

Mary received HIV treatment at the hospital. Once she was back home, she learned about BRAC. BRAC officers were looking to launch a new women’s group in her community—a place where women could come together and learn about personal finance, entrepreneurship, and even access microfinance loans. But they needed a leader to host the group…

So Mary stepped up to the challenge. “I started to look for women, moving door to door,” she shares. “Women selling charcoal, tomatoes, all of them!” Mary brought together a group of 45 women entrepreneurs from her community.

Mary (pictured third from right) with some of the women from her community who she brought together to create a women’s microfinance group.

With her first loan of just $50, Mary went to the market and bought tomatoes and eggplants to sell in her roadside stall. She sold all the items on that same day. “My first loan did wonders for me,” she reflects. “When I started to earn money and get loans from BRAC, I became empowered… like I had jumped out of the grave.”

Today, she continues to grow her business, expanding to incorporate new grocery products.

In order to receive a loan, Mary needed to be a part of a women’s group. Since there wasn’t already one in her village, she knocked on every door to bring women together.

Then, Mary’s next opportunity came. She signed up to become a Community Health Promoter (CHP) with BRAC, helping to treat sick people in her village. Once Mary repaid her loan and got her CHP certificate, she joined the BRAC health team. “I am very touched by this initiative because being sick myself, I want to help other sick people in the area,” she says. 

But Mary didn’t stop there. People in her village had been asking her to run for a women’s leadership position, so she decided to put her name on the ballot. “There were three candidates,” Mary shares. “One got seven votes, the second got 10 votes, and I got 304 votes.” In her role, Mary handles issues such as domestic violence and the challenges parents face when they cannot pay children’s school fees. She also teaches job skills to women in the community so they, too, can find financial independence.

In her own household, Mary’s children call her a “winner,” their hero. Her wish for them? “I want my children to be useful in life, when everyone is proud of them… the way people are proud of me.”

Around the world, 740 million women in low-income economies are disproportionately left out of financial services. They are held back in poverty. But when women earn an income and have control of their finances, they are likely to spend money on family needs, such as health care, nutrition, and education. They invest in a better world. 

This year, BRAC has empowered 10.7 million people to access microfinance loans and financial education to unlock their entrepreneurial spirit and build economic resilience. Donate today to help more Extraordinary Women like Mary lift themselves, their families, and their communities out of poverty. You’ll create a future where everyone has the opportunity to realize their potential.