Las Margaritas Group

Thank you for your loan. It has been disbursed to the Las Margaritas group, consisting of Mery Martha Lima Choque, Maribel Iñiguez Iveth, Juana Paulina Jarandilla Castillo, Alicia Iñiguez Mamani, Angelica Mamani Huiza, Ariana Patricia Canaza Iñiguez, Reyna Isabel Benito Soliz, Patricia Florentina Romero Castro, Jhovana Liveth Rojas Caballero, Juana Alejandra Molina Quispe, Pamela Ivone Quispa Apaza, Eugenio Alejandro Lima Choque by Fundación Agrocapital, a partner of ACDI/VOCA in Bolivia. We are excited to watch this business grow. Over the next 4 months, Fundación Agrocapital, a partner of ACDI/VOCA will be collecting repayments from this entrepreneur and posting progress updates on the Kiva website.

Las Margaritas is an innovative group that was willing to talk in detail about their businesses and goals.

Miguel is a taxi driver, and this was his first loan. He used the loan to do repairs on his taxi, which he owns. Miguel explained that his business has grown considerably since his taxi is much more reliable, so he can spend more time working and less time fixing his automobile.

Alvaro and Daniel are in their 20s and own an Internet café that also has video game systems for use. The enterprising young men cited higher incomes after they were able to buy more computers and an X-Box for their store. Neither has a family of their own, and they invested most of the new income into even more equipment (computers, gaming systems) for their store. They hope to grow their business and perhaps open another store in a different part of town in the future. When asked whether there are many other Internet cafes in the area, they heartily agreed that there is intense competition in their industry. However, when asked if that has affected their business, the answer was a firm “No.” Alvaro answered confidently, “We have the best equipment in town, so the competition doesn’t affect us.”

Neny had a smaller portion of the loan, of about $150. She runs her own auto parts shop, manufacturing and replacing stoplights and headlights. With the loan, she was able to buy more material (acrylic) for her products, which has grown her business slightly. She has fully repaid her loan, and is looking forward to growing her business more with her next loan. Her goal is to one day reap enough profit from her business to have her own apartment for her husband and baby, since she currently rents a small place with other people.

In the following video, the president of the group, Mery, speaks about her store, her new adjoining restaurant she opened up using her Kiva-funded loan, and her hopes and dreams for the future.