The Corazon Mejia communal bank meets every two weeks in Mejia. Mejia, which is located a few kilometers from the city of Portoviejo,is a city where the majority of people work in agriculture and in the cultivation and sale of coconuts. The members work at various activities such as food sales, the sale of beauty products and articles of clothing, and services such as phone booths and beauty salons. A while ago they decided to join forces to be able to access the benefits provided by the Fundacion Espoir, with which they are very happy.

One of the members of this group is Gloria, who is 42 years old and is in a common-law relationship from which she has four children aged 19, 16, 14 and 10. The three eldest are in high school and the youngest is in school. Her husband is a farmer.

Our friend is a homemaker who sells clothing from a catalogue and other products in order to earn her own income and to help her husband with the household expenses. The products she sells are from Esika, Lebel and Yanbal (beauty products, cosmetics, perfume and women's accessories). She works three days a week for two to three hours a day. She provides her products on credit and bills every week. She has been doing this for 10 years and it is going well for her. She says that the products that sell best are the perfumes and cosmetics as they are said to be very good.

This loan is to buy perfume, creams, cosmetics and underwear. She has been there since the start of the communal bank and she likes it for the help that it gives with the loans.

Her dream is to own a boutique.

In the photo is a woman with a red blouse with white squares who does not belong to the group. She is standing behind a woman with a brown T-shirt on the right side of the photo.