Daw San Dar Win and Hla Hla Win
There was a time when healthcare services are in demand in the market. With the hope that they will land in a job with better pay and compensation, many students aspire to finish healthcare courses in colleges or universities.
While many schools give opportunities to choose who and what profession they want to take in the future, the Myanmar education system defines the course a student must take when they enter university. Courses related to English and Economics were the courses delimited by the examination results of Daw San Dar Win and Hla Hla Win when they took the examination to enter a university.
Daw San Dar and Hla Hla are siblings and finished their courses determined by their examinations’ result and not by their choice or passion.
The siblings finished their university and took up nursing aid vocation after graduation and both opened their own pharmacy later.
Growing together
Daw San Dar, 37, is already in the pharmaceutical business for more than a decade. After finishing her vocation, she worked in a factory for three years and then became a freelance caregiver. When she had saved enough money, she started her own pharmacy.
When she started in 2006, she used to rent a space for her pharmacy. Her initial capital was MMK 3 million. It was after a year when she bought her own place and house.
Her profit per day is MMK 15,000.00 plus the monthly income of her husband in a photo studio is enough to provide the needs of their two children and meet their daily expenses.
When she heard about CARD Myanmar Co., Ltd. (CARD) three years ago, she was easily convinced to join because of the convenient weekly payment and it could help her business to grow. From her MMK 90,000 first loan in the institution, she managed to increase her loan to MMK 500,000.00 in her third cycle.
More than the financial assistance CARD offers, it also provides financial literacy on where to invest their loans.
“Our account officers teaches us on where we should utilize our loans, to grow it and not to waste it to worthless stuff,” said Daw San Dar. “CARD has helped me financially and personally,” she added.
Her pharmacy is open from 8:00AM-12:00MN. When her husband is done with his duty in the studio, he helps her in her business. The couple is working together to raise their family well.
Realizing Dreams
Their father’s death when they were still young forced their mother to work abroad to provide for their needs. They grew up without their parents beside them.
Their mother, who is just visiting them from time to time, now has a new family in Malaysia. Despite this, their mother continued to provide for their needs. Hla Hla took up nursing aid vocation for her to open a pharmacy. She borrowed MMK 3 million capital from her mother when she established her own business in 2010.
When still in school, Hla Hla never planned to be an employee because she thought it will not give much income to her. When she took up her vocations, she already planned to have her own pharmacy.
She handles her business well. Recently, she bought a house and she plans to buy a car next year.
“When you manage your own business, you can earn faster than being an employee,” said Hla Hla.
She has been married for more than a year and has no child yet. She is 100% focused on her pharmacy.
She is just renting her space for MMK 60,000.00 per month but she plans to buy her own place where she can operate her pharmacy.
When she learned about CARD through her sister Daw San Dar, she joined even if she needed to start only with MMK 80,000.00 initial loan, far from the amount she needed to grow her business. Her sister told her that CARD can provide higher amount of loan if she will continue her relationship in the institution.
Hla Hla has already MMK 300,000.00 loan in her one year and four months in the institution. She trusts the institution will provide her bigger loan amount to help her expand her business.
“CARD does what it promised. They will release the loan immediately once approved,” said Hla Hla.
Aside from their pharmaceutical business, the siblings offer services like blood pressure monitoring, which they provide in their pharmacies.
-CARD Myanmar COMPANY LIMITED
