Journal entry for Yesenia Aparicia Duarte Estrada

Checking in with Yesenia at Pulperia Yesenia

When we stopped by Yesenia Aparicia Duarte Estrada’s shop yesterday, she was busy serving a few customers, so we waited off to the side for a few minutes with her husband, who was holding their 16-month-old child in his arms. Soon, Yesenia finished the sales she was making and invited us into what appeared to be the living room of her home, directly behind the small space of the store.

Yesenia runs a pulperia, which is the local name for small grocery stores that offer a diverse array of products and that are often run out of the front of the shop owner’s home. As you may remember, you helped fund a loan on Kiva to Yesenia earlier this year so that she could buy certain products to sell in the aptly-named Pulperia Yesenia.

With this loan – her fifth from the microfinance institution AFODENIC – Yesenia invested in products for her store that tend to be more expensive for her to purchase. Among these were rice, sugar, cosmetics, and more. Unfortunately, echoing a sentiment that appears to be common across small business owners in Nicaragua, Yesenia told us that Pulperia Yesenia’s sales have been on the low side. She especially noted that sometimes people ask her to get a particular item for them and then they end up not being able to pay for it. Little by little, she is recovering these losses.

However, Yesenia did say that there are definite advantages to her current line of work as opposed to what she used to do; she had to travel around when she sold clothes, toys, and flowers, so the work was more dangerous.

Yesenia told us that she is planning to apply for another loan, so be on the lookout for it on Kiva if you would like to lend to her again! In particular, she would like to be able to sell some toys, especially as the schoolchildren here are about to have their three-month summer break (in Nicaragua, even though it is not below the equator, summer refers to the dry season, which lasts from November-May). Ultimately, her goal is to increase the volume of sales in the pulperia. The best part about loaning from AFODENIC, Yesenia said, is that they understand problems she faces and how to help her.

As we said goodbye to her three adorable sons – the 16-month-old, a four-year-old, and a five-year-old – a neighborhood boy came running up to the window, out of breath, purchased several packets of crackers, and then ran off again down the street.

To see Yesenia show us just about every item in her store, check out the video below.

Yesenia Aparicia Duarte Estrada was funded through Kiva’s partner AFODENIC, a microfinance institution in Nicaragua. By providing micro-loans on a national level since 1999, AFODENIC seeks to use micro-credit to foster productive commercial activity for the sake of economic, social, and cultural development within vulnerable urban and rural sectors traditionally neglected by commercial banks.

To lend to another AFODENIC entrepreneur:

www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&queryString=afodenic&status=fundRaising&gender=All§ors[]=All®ions[]=All&sortBy=Popularity

To learn more about AFODENIC:

www.afodenic.com

www.kiva.org/about/aboutPartner?id=98

To join the “Amigos de AFODENIC” lending team:

www.kiva.org/community/viewTeam?team_id=5971