The oldest daughter of a carpenter father and a housewife mother, 23-year-old Zar Chi Lin wanted to fulfill her dreams. She did not have an easy childhood because of the way she looked, but she was brave and determined.
Zar Chi did not have an easy childhood. She was bullied at school because she looked different. However, that did not stop her from getting a university degree. She had more ambitious plans. Armed with a degree, she knew she could be an entrepreneur if she found the right support.
Zar Chi decided to keep learning. She began to participate in life skills training, business skills and technical skill training under BRAC Myanmar’s inclusive financing project, supported by UKAID and The Leprosy Mission.
She eventually took a loan of USD 350 (500,000 MMK) and received additional grant support of USD 350 to start her very first business – a clothing shop in a buzzing market in Mandalay. With the seed money and her ironclad will she is now a successful entrepreneur in her community and an inspiration to all. Zar Chi is grateful for the opportunities BRAC has provided her. “BRAC helped me become the person I always knew I could be. There is no turning back for me now,” she remarked.
