Carlos Francisco López

Thank you for your loan. It has been disbursed to Carlos Francisco López by CEPRODEL in Nicaragua. We are excited to watch this business grow. Over the 9 months of this loan, CEPRODEL will be collecting repayments from this entrepreneur and posting progress updates on the Kiva website.

This Kiva Fellow had the good fortune to interview Carlos Francisco Lopez at his home and shoe factory in Nindiri near Volcan Masaya National Park which boasts one of Nicaragua's most active volcanoes.

A shoemaker since 1982, Don Carlos is paying back his first loan from Kiva partner CEPRODEL. He used it to buy leather and other materials for the men's and women's shoes that he and his four employees make by hand under the watchful eyes of several parrots and parakeets. Don Carlos has a 10-year-old son and a 20-year-old son who studies computer engineering. His wife (pictured) handles sales of the shoes which are sold all over the country, including the cities of Matagalpa, Chinandega, Jinotega and Rio Blanco.

Don Carlos' dream is to enlarge his factory and to hire more employees. He thanks Kiva lenders for investing in him and his family.

About CEPRODEL:

Founded in 1991, the Centro de Promoción del Desarrollo Local (CEPRODEL) is a nonprofit organization (NGO) based in Managua that provides socioeconomic development programs in rural and urban communities to help alleviate poverty throughout western Nicaragua. More than 75% of CEPRODEL's Kiva loans are to women. If you enjoyed this journal and would like to receive occasional updates on the work CEPRODEL is doing Join the Fans of CEPRODEL Kiva Lending Team , make another loan to a CEPRODEL client if available, and/or tune into the next episode of the novela, "As the Microfinance Mundo Turns," on the Kiva Fellows Blog.