Antonia Marte Claudio

Antonia has been living in this house for over 14 years. She still lives here with her husband and 4 kids. For the past few years, she has had to take become the mainstay of the family's economic survival, as her husband hasn't had a steady job for quite some time! Occasionally he works as a hired hand in agricultural duties (the area has a lot of cocoa farming, and there's a need for laborers at the time of hand-picking of this precious fruit! He now works assisting her in her clothing sales, by delivering the goods and doing some collections himself!

The clothing Antonia sells comes from “pacas” (or packs of pressed new and used clothing which Dominicans can buy from donations to the poor on the Haitian side of the island, which the people bring over to the Dominican Republic in order to sell them and thus, be able buy food and groceries). “Pacas” come in at least three types: Type A, B and C. Type A packs are mostly of “premium” goods, as they contain new items, often from signature brands, and which command a ‘premium’ price, for obvious reasons. On type A’s (worth between USD$300 to $400) there is more income to be made, as they can be sold to a higher income bracket customer. However, Antonia tells us thus far she has only been able to buy type B “pacas” (worth some USD$250 to $300 mainly dependent upon the composition and proportion of the new/used portions of clothing to be found on them) which is obviously of a lower quality from those on the type A group. Finally the type C “pacas” (costing anywhere from USD$100 to $250, each) are the cheapest, obviously consisting of used clothing or new of lower quality. “Paca” buyers must trust their intermediaries, as the insides are not able to be seen until the packs are opened. Normally the “pacas” are opened and sold on a piece by piece fashion, which will bring the largest return on the sales. However, those go to the Haiti-Dominican Rep. border in order to buy the “pacas”, as Antonia does, can buy them at lower prices than those that might be found in or near the cities, such as Santo Domingo. The trip to the border costs somewhere in the neighborhood of USD$25-30 each way, expensive, but there’s no other way… Of course, both the sacrifice as well as the cost is recuperated a few times over, once the “paca” buyer has been able to do the purchasing and transportation to the end market’s territory. The unopened “pacas” can command up to three times the value over their original cost once brought into the final market areas, as the owner/buyer is able to maintain the quality standards customary to their customers. But most prefer to have the larger income product, which may be brought in selling them piecemeal!

Antonia wishes to be able to have her kids grow, become good citizens and show their love for the country! This she plans making via sufficient income in order to be able to pay for their transportation, and daily needs with school. She’s never had a type A “pack”, as she’s only been able to pay for a maximum of the “B’s” value. Eventually, she’ll be able to buy the As type, as she’ll receive more good and larger loans.

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