Mercedes Gisela Gallese Davila

Thank you for your loan. It has been disbursed to Mercedes Gisela Gallese Davila by Manuela Ramos / CrediMUJER in Peru. We are excited to watch this business grow. Over the next 4 months, Manuela Ramos / CrediMUJER will be collecting repayments from this entrepreneur and posting progress updates on the Kiva website.

Yesterday afternoon I visited Mercedes at her home off of one of Pucallpa’s many unpaved side streets. Mercedes recently finished paying back a loan of 2000 Peruvian Soles (about $665) from Manuela Ramos through her communal bank, “Las Lomas de Yarina.” She would like to take out another loan, but cannot do so until several of the women in her communal bank bring their loan payments up to date or place something in guarantee with the bank. Mercedes told me that this is one of the challenges of belonging to a communal bank with Manuela Ramos; for all members, receiving new loans depends in part upon everyone else not getting too far behind on their loan payments. Mercedes admits that this situation can be frustrating.

Mercedes reports that her loans have served her well. She now has a lot more going on business-wise than before she joined Manuela Ramos two years ago. In particular, the loans have granted her the independence to choose her own business ventures. Mercedes continues to sell beauty products (her oldest business, dating back 15 years) and a variety of market goods such as clothes and soft drinks. With her next loan she wants to invest in Brazilian shoes, which apparently are not easily found in Pucallpa and should sell well. Mercedes also sells frozen confections, made mostly from local fruits, to her neighbors. (She treated me to an excellent popsicle made from a local fruit called “aguaje” during our interview!) Mercedes makes around 32 Soles (about $11) for each 100 popsicles she sells. Additionally, Mercedes used a recent loan to purchase a motorcycle taxi, a very popular form of transport in Pucallpa. She rents this taxi out to different drivers for 20 Soles (about $7) a day. The driver keeps whatever profits he/she manages to make.

Mercedes lives with her mother and her two children, aged 4 and 15. Mercedes reports that, in general, things are going well with her business ventures. In this video clip Mercedes talks about her hopes for the future, which include attaining more, acquiring a better house, and working to ensure a good education for her children.

To view current fundraising loans for Mercedes’s MFI, Manuela Ramos, click Here.