Marquencitas Group

Thank you for your loan. It has been disbursed to the Marquencitas group, consisting of Odilia Sipac, Florinda Sancoy, Nicolasa Quiacain, Catarina Sajvin, Maria Sajvin, Maria Chiyal, Candelaria Sajvin, Sebastiana Sajvin, Teresa Sacach, Angelina Chiyal, Petronila Quiacain, Lucia Sancoy, Rosario Sajvin, Pascuala Perez, Juana Cuc, Maria Mendoza 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 arrived in San Marcos La Laguna in a small boat packed full with men, women, children and enough chickens to start my own farm. The dock for San Marcos sits at the bottom of a small hill. I walked up the hill to get to the town center that was marked with a large basketball court where a group of women were playing a pick-up game in full traje (traditional dress and blouse of indigenous Guatemalans). I met Miriam Mendoza, the loan officer, at the basketball court and we walked to the house where the meeting was to take place. We opened the door and entered in to a small courtyard with an empty room adorned with wooden benches in the back where the women had already gathered.

The meeting started shortly after with a prayer in which all the women stood and gave thanks for the day, their families, and the successes they have had in their businesses. Afterwards, Miriam introduced me and I received a warm welcome from the group. To lighten up mood of the group, they played a game where each woman had to introduce herself and say where she itched while pointing to a part of her body. Then the next woman had to introduce her friend and scratch the itch for her. By the end of the game, the women were scratching each other’s backs and laughing so hard that the final woman, Pascuala Perez, had to take about five minutes to compose herself before she could complete her turn.

The women of the Marquencitas Group are a light-hearted bunch. The entire time I was present with them someone was cracking a joke. They were also all extremely grateful for the opportunity to be a part of Friendship Bridge. Before I could start interviewing any of the women, Lucia Sancoy began speaking to the group and myself. She said that she was very appreciative that I took the time to come and meet these women. She also explained that it is very important to them to get their stories heard so that people outside of Guatemala can understand how important the loans are to their lives. Lucia is a first time client and has used the money to purchase thread for her job of making traditional belts. She said that she did not have enough money to buy the materials needed to make the belts so she took a loan and bought the products she needed. Now she has a business of selling and is able to use the money she earns to improve her business and sustain her family. Not only has Lucia been able to improve her life and the life of her family, but also she was able to take a dream that she has always had and make it in to a reality. The opportunity for her to start her own business was inconceivable before receiving the loan. Now she has an operating business that allows her the freedom to determine what she will do with her extra earnings.

After the meeting finished, the women of Marquencitas showed me off with hugs, kisses and well wishes. Their enthusiasm and appreciation for the loans and the ability to determine their futures left me feeling confident that they would reach their goals.