Entrepreneurs Associates disburses interest-free loans to street vendors

Our Reporter

Dimapur, July 20 (EMN): Entrepreneurs Associates (EA) disbursed interest-free loans to woman street vendors during a workshop programme on “Uplifting woman street vendors” held at Tourist Lodge in Dimapur on July 21.

Chunjanglu Gracy, EA operations supervisor, informed that the organisation is supporting over 5200 women from Nagaland as well as from Manipur. She highlighted that EA was established in the year 2000 to promote local business and entrepreneurs in the state.

According to her, unavailability of loans was one of the main challenges in the past years for the Nagas because banks have the notion that Nagas are unreliable. She asserted that they wanted to proof that “Nagas are reliable and so they took many risks.”

Stating that they (street vendors) are the guardians of the state economy, she said EA started to uplift street vendors and train them in 2007.

Delivering an inspirational speech to the vendors, Shikato Jakhalu, dealer principal at Floyd Hyundai, shared that there is no works such as big or small. Sharing about his journey as an entrepreneur, he said that he was initially inspired by his teacher, which initially made him open a cyber café in the year 1999.

Jakhalu stated that the journey was never easy and he had to suffer losses for a while. He narrated that he would asked the attendants to gain the trust of their customers instead of making as much profit as they can from them saying, “gaining trust would give them better return in the long run.”

Vive S Chishi, tutor from Government Nursing School, Dimapur, also stressed on basic hygiene to the woman vendors.