Melvis Merchán

Melvis Merchan was born in Manabi, Ecuador and is a 44 year-old single woman. She own a small business, selling various household items in the Municipal de Bastión Popular. She starts work at 6am every day and usually closes her shop around 5pm. Her parents taught her how to operate the store, as they were the previous owners before Melvis took over. In the four years since she has been the proprietor of Bazar Melvis, Ms. Merchan has gained the customer loyalty she needs to now expand. She is asking for a $950 loan so she can buy food-packing items like Tupperware as well as other goods such as cooking utensils, which many local chefs purchase. More than anything, Melvis wants to be free of the “chulqueros” or loan sharks who charge high interest to poor Ecuadorians. She hopes that with this loan she can grow her business and be able to help her parents who are in need of more medical attention as they get older.