Sont Oo Tehtwin

Sont Oo Tehtwin targets low-income individuals in southern Yangon who have set up informal income-generating activities, such as small shops or small farms, in order to survive. For these informal entrepreneurs, it is very difficult to transform these activities into sustainable businesses without access to credit or training.

In 2014, Entrepreneurs du Monde created Sont Oo Tehtwin (SOO) to support these extremely vulnerable families in Seikkyikhanaungto, Dala, Twante, and Kawhmu, in southern Yangon. SOO helps improve their living conditions by helping them increase the income of their micro-enterprises and their resilience, and preserve their health. The organization offers them loans without collateral or guarantees, a savings account, training, and advice.

To join the program, the team asks them to form groups of 20-25 people and meets with them every 2 to 4 weeks. SOO beneficiaries receive financial education training before their first loan, then have access to other training on a variety of topics:

• Economic: how to calculate costs and selling prices, manage inventory and cash flow, adapt to customer demand and competition, marketing and promotion, etc.
• Social: how to acquire rights and self-confidence, prevent common diseases and domestic violence, adapt to climate change.
• Agricultural: how to use fertilizers effectively.