Introduction This program aims to support needy orphan families who have little to no income and struggle to properly feed and educate their children. The initial “Small-Scale Business Support Program” by the Orphan Care Afghanistan Welfare Organization (OCA) was successfully implemented for 16 poor families. With an investment of USD 200-300 per family, OCA provided carts and a budget for products to sell. After six months, most families earned an average of USD 100 per month.
Based on these results, OCA decided to extend the program to more orphan families. To ensure success, OCA developed a list of simple business ideas and criteria for selecting beneficiaries. Since market work is challenging for teenagers and might interfere with their schooling, the program targets families with adult children (18 years or older) or relatives willing to support the orphans.
Implementation Steps
- Identify orphan families with small children and at least one adult child (18 years or older) within the family.
- Ensure the adult child or a willing relative (e.g., uncle or grandfather) can work in the market and share the income with the orphans.
- Tailor the business support based on the operator’s experience and location.
- Require beneficiaries to repay the loan monthly to enable support for other families, doubling the program’s impact within 1-2 years.
- Educate families on self-reliance and small business management, promoting independence rather than dependence on donors.
Conditions for Participation
- The family must be a poor orphan family with small children.
- The family must have little or no income.
- The family must commit to sending the orphans to school.
- A credible guarantor must vouch for the beneficiary’s reliability and ensure the loan repayment.
- The guarantor must prevent the sale of any equipment or assets provided by OCA before full loan repayment.
- The loan must be repaid in monthly installments without interest within one year or the agreed timeline.
- Loan amounts range from 10,000 to 21,000 Afghanis (exceptions apply based on business type).
- The community leader or local Wakil-e-Guzar must support the project and report any contract deviations.
- Beneficiaries can choose a business idea from OCA’s list or propose their own, provided it can generate sufficient income.
- Beneficiaries must have experience in their chosen business or undergo training (at their own cost) to ensure they can manage it.
- OCA may pair new beneficiaries with successful past participants for mentorship.
- OCA will assist in creating a business plan and calculating profit and loss projections.
Achievements The program, established on May 26, 2024, with an initial fund of 350,000 Afghanis, required extensive groundwork, policy development, and stakeholder engagement. The first beneficiary was contracted on July 7, 2024. By December 24, 2024, the program supported 71 families (520 individuals) with 1,450,510 Afghanis in total disbursements. Each beneficiary received between 10,000 and 60,000 Afghanis (average: 20,430 Afghanis, ~USD 300).
Initial results show businesses generating daily incomes of 200-500 Afghanis (5,000-15,000 Afghanis per month). Most beneficiaries have been repaying their loans on time. By December 24, 2024, repayments totaled 185,045 Afghanis, enabling funding for an additional 15-20 families.
Business Categories Supported
- Food items: 22 businesses
- Rickshaw purchase/repair: 11 businesses
- Dried fruits: 6 businesses
- Mechanic/repair services: 6 businesses
- Banjara (local trade): 5 businesses
- Plastic sandals: 5 businesses
- Tailoring: 4 businesses
- Shoe shops: 3 businesses
- Car air pumps: 3 businesses
- Miscellaneous (e.g., pharmacy, honey, spices): 6 businesses
Note All administrative and operational costs are covered by OCA founders. Donor contributions go entirely to beneficiaries. With an initial donation of USD 300, you can support one orphan family annually, creating sustainable income for years. A donation of USD 3,000 can support 100 orphan families over ten years, benefiting approximately 500 individuals.
Conclusion Thanks to the donors for their trust in OCA and gratitude to the OCA staff and volunteers for their dedication. This program is transforming lives, one family at a time, by fostering self-reliance and sustainable income generation.
