Belgica Maritza Sornoza Romero

Bélgica is a member of the “Nueva Generación” communal bank, a relatively new group that meets every two weeks in the Cuba neighborhood in the city of Manta, in the province of Manabí, on the coast of Ecuador.

Bélgica is 26 years old and lives with her common-law husband and her 2.5 year-old son. She sells sheets, curtains, and natural medicine. Her mother brings her the curtains and sheets from the city of Guayaquil, and the natural medicine is from a catalog.

She sells door-to-door and she also travels outside the city of Manta to sell her products. Her customers are usually her friends and her acquaintances from her old job. She has been working in this business since she was 22 years old. She says that though sales always rise and fall, things are going very well and she sells $30 to $40 of merchandise per week. She likes her work.

She is requesting a loan in order to buy sheets and curtains with new designs and fashionable colors and to increase her stock of natural medicines. She won’t invest all of her loan at once in purchases; rather she will spend it bit by bit as needed.

Her goal for the future is to open a store in her house, with vitrines and all. She has been with the communal bank for two loan cycles, and she says it’s “a great opportunity being provided” because the interest is low and the twice-monthly payments work well for her.

Translated from Spanish by Jennifer Day, Kiva Volunteer

La señora Bélgica es socia del Banco Comunal Nueva Generación, un grupo relativamente nuevo que se reúne cada dos semanas en el Barrio Cuba en la ciudad de Manta, Provincia de Manabí, en la costa ecuatoriana.

Bélgica tiene 26 años y vive en unión libre con su pareja y su hijo de 2.5 años. Ella se dedica a la venta de sábanas, cortinas, y medicina natural. Su mamá le trae las cortinas y sábanas desde la ciudad de Guayaquil, y la medicina natural es de un catálogo.

Vende de casa en casa, y también viaja fuera de la ciudad de Manta para vender sus productos. Sus clientas son generalmente sus amigas y antiguas compañeras de trabajo. Se dedica a esta actividad desde los 22 años y, dice que aunque las ventas siempre suben y bajan le va bastante bien, y vende $30-$40 de mercadería cada semana. Le gusta su trabajo.

Actualmente está pidiendo un crédito para comprar sábanas y cortinas con nuevos diseños y colores de moda e incrementar su stock de medicina natural. No invertirá todo el crédito en la compra, sino que lo invertirá poco a poco de acuerdo a sus necesidades.

Su meta para el futuro es poner una tienda en su casa, con vitrinas y todo. Lleva 2 ciclos trabajando con su banco comunal, y dice que es “una gran oportunidad que le brindan” porque los intereses son bajos y los pagos quincenales le convienen.

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