Liya Banda is the loan recipient I helped finance from Lusaka, Zambia. His story struck a chord with me because not much progress has been made on his loan. She was far from her goal with only 10% progress made. When I chose her, there was a technical problem on the FINCA website and I couldn't even read her full bio. I decided to finance his loan anyway because I was confident that he would be able to use the help. His story was on the back page of the website, his loan was mostly unfunded, and his bio wasn't complete. I put myself in his position and realized how much help he needed. I was hoping people would do the same as I did and give her the benefit of the doubt. Once I was able to read her full story, I was so happy I chose her. When Liya was in seventh grade, she had to drop out of school due to lack of funds. Her father died around the same time, when she was thirteen. This forced his family to split up and move in with relatives. Liya was lucky enough to stay with her mother and they both moved to her uncle's house where Liya was mistreated by her aunt. Liya was so young and already had such a hard life. She began selling vegetables at the market to provide for her and her family. Later Liya married and had four children. Her husband's business failed, which ultimately ended her marriage. He was unable to provide for their family, so he eventually left them. One day Liya learned about FINCA at the market and joined the nearest village bank. Liya started improving her business with just one loan. He increased his supplies and began carrying a wide variety of vegetables which helped increase his profits. Liya said: “Since I started receiving FINCA loans, my family doesn't have... half the documents... they do what nurses do with a smile on their faces and I can't wait for that moment to come” come. This was a great experience and stays true to what Avila believes in and teaches their students. Some of Avila's values ​​relevant to helping others through microfinance are preparing students for lifelong responsible contributions to the global community and the importance of the value, dignity and potential of every human being. I feel like this experience has helped prepare me for the lifelong contributions I will make in my community. I will always remember this opportunity and think back to this time in my life. Microfinance through FINCA shows the importance of the value, dignity and potential of every human being. This proves that every person deserves a chance to succeed. I look forward to helping more people through microfinance and tracking their progress.