“I wanted to open an educational centre in Oradea, Romania, to teach people about healthy food and living though plant-based diets and medicine, but to access the funding I was told I needed a bank account and credit history. I signed up with a well-known bank but when I asked for a loan to obtain the credit history I needed, I was refused because of my age. I told them that I work and I also have a pension but they say if you are over 70 they can no longer serve you. When I’ve wanted money quickly before I’ve borrowed from a colleague or my wife. So I had an idea – I asked Provident and they were there. We are now waiting for the approval of the project and soon we will be holding courses in the centre to help local people interested in changing their way of life.”
