Adding to basket
You can find small neighborhood stores all over Guatemala. Neighbors depend on them to purchase basic items. This has been especially important during the pandemic when many markets were closed. This caused many women to undertake this type of business and stabilize over time.
29 year old Lourdes has a small store in the Suchitepéquez department / state. She opened it 10 years ago, when she saw that that her husband's income as a bricklayer was not enough to cover all the expenses. The couple has 4 children (2 to 10 years old) and three of them receive an education. With Kiva's 1st loan, Lourdes will buy a variety of products.
Lourdes is the president of the Banco Comunal de Puente de Amistad "Luz Divina" along with 6 other women . They have businesses ranging from convenience stores to food preparation. In the monthly lectures, women learn about one of 4 topics: business, health, family, women. They often share what they learn (nutrition, hygiene, and health) with family and friends. Business training meetings are critical to the success of their business. They learn to plan, budget, invest, and prioritize expenses. Every two months they have access to basic health services. This useful combination of loans, education and health is called "Microcredit Plus".
Women thank Kiva lenders for financing these loans! Thank you!
In this group: Cindy Marivel , Natividad , Imelda Rosario, Greicy Yecenia , Brenda Elizabeth , Lourdes Mariela , Sonia Maribel
Translated from Spanish by Kiva volunteer Paulo Aguiar. View original language description.
