Annual Report 2007

A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 76
Júlio Felizardo Chefe Cumbe learned to work with
wood at the School of Arts and Crafts in Maputo,
and in 1994 he opened his own sawmill. At first,
he and his two employees did most of the work
manually. With no vehicle of his own to transport
the wood, he had to rent vans, reducing his profits.
Mr. Cumbe had heard about Banco ProCredit and
decided in 2001 to apply for a loan of USD 800
to buy essential materials such as wood, glue
and nails. In 2004, he obtained another loan of
Júlio Felizardo
Chefe Cumbe,
Sawmill Owner
USD 1,200 to buy a wood router, which is used to
make door and window frames. This enabled him
to work faster and with greater precision.
Mr. Cumbe’s business started to grow, and he
became well known throughout his district in
Maputo. As orders picked up and the volume of
work increased, he gradually started hiring more
people. He now employs 15 staff, whom he taught
to handle the machines, since they had never had
any formal training in carpentry.
In 2007, Mr. Cumbe once again applied to Banco
ProCredit for a loan, this time for USD 2,400 to
buy a large carpenter’s plane. He also hopes
to obtain financing from ProCredit to purchase
materials in larger quantities, which will enable
him to better meet the growing demand for his
products.