Bugambilia Group

This group of women from Nahuala, Solola is named after a gorgeous flower, Las Buganbilias ( the bougainvilleas), that grows in that region. They expressed contentment with their community, which rarely has conflicts and houses amiable neighbors.

They are dedicated to the creation of home-spun textiles, which they sell as clothing, napkins and blouses mainly to local women in the town market.

Their best day of sales is the Sunday market day. They utilize the loans to buy wholesale cloth and thread in order to labor throughout the week to meet demand. Their loans also allow them money to live well while investing in the more expensive yet ultimately cheaper wholesale elements of their goods. Antonia Coti Tambriz works with her husband in making textiles and now buys much more thread and embroidery supplies. Dominga Tziquin, the group leader, sells stone corn grinders in the Pacific coast towns.

This credit has made things go well for them, according to Manuela Chovon. The increased flexibility in the balance of funds for living and funds for investment in the business allows their business to grow steadily. Most of their repayments have been so reliable that they have gone from about 100 USD to now almost 800 USD.

The women are unanimously happy to work in the Bugambilias group. “We all know each other and laugh with each other, which makes it easier to repay,” commented Madgaelena Tum. She went on to say that they help each other in repayment and remind each other about meeting dates and repayment dates.

These women, although focused on their business dreams such as increasing their amount of credit and the growth of their enterprise, have their true dreams rooted in seeing their children begin life in Guatemala with a head start. They wish to have the money to support a happy family which at the very least has the option financially to send their kids to school and give them a boost. This boost is slowly starting to be seen, as all of the mothers of this group currently send most or all of their children to school, despite the increasing expenses.



About Group Loans
In a group loan, each member of the group receives an individual loan but is part of a group of individuals bound by a group guarantee. Under this arrangement, each member of the group supports one another and is responsible for paying back the loans of their fellow group members if someone is delinquent or defaults. Learn more