Kaksija Ii Group

Thank you for your loan. It has been disbursed to the Kaksija II group, consisting of Cruz Xum Tzep, Magdalena Tepaz Ajpacaja, Ana Guachiac Y Guachiac, Cecilia Eulalaia Tzep Gomez, Catalina De La Cruz Rodriguez, Magdalena Balux Tum by Friendship Bridge in Guatemala. We are excited to watch this business grow. Over the next 13 months, Friendship Bridge will be collecting repayments from this entrepreneur and posting progress updates on the Kiva website.

I met the loan officer Micaela Cocom at the gas station in Nahualá. She was nervous, and rightfully so, after I arrived an hour late thanks to the construction on the road that winds up the mountain in to Nahualá. We hopped in a pick-up truck and continued our journey just outside of Nahualá to the small village of Nueva Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan. We arrived and met the women of Kaksija II Group in the home of one of the entrepreneurs.

Faith and hope are a huge part of these women’s lives. As it is fast approaching the holidays, the women discussed Christmas and it’s significance. Afterwards they participated in a group prayer and explained to me how the loan they have received has given them opportunities to advance their businesses and personal lives in ways they haven’t been able to in the past.

Magdalena Balux Tum arrived at the meeting with a small child in a crocheted hat resting on her back in a pañuelo, a blanket for carrying children and goods. She has seven children in total, two of which help with her business of weaving traditional skirts called cortes. Magdalena sells her skirts on the coast of Guatemala. She explained to me that the reason for this is that the women who live on the coast don’t weave. Because of that, they rely on the skirts woven by the women in the highlands and Nahualá. The weavers such as Magdalena only travel to the coast when a request or order is made, so the money is guaranteed and it’s safer work. Because of the loan from Friendship Bridge, Magdalena was able to increase her inventory and sell even more skirts at once on her trips. This has dramatically improved her earnings and therefore the life she can offer to her seven children.

As I left the meeting of Kaksija II Group, I was given hugs, kisses and warm wishes for a new year. The women of Kaksija II Group are excited to have another successful year come to an end.