Adding to basket
Thirty-nine year old Maria, the mother of four and grandmother of two, employs five women in her traditional textile and sewing businesses. Her husband is a bricklayer. Maria and her employees embroider colorful traditional blouses (”huipiles”) and also sew lightweight colorful blouses called “blusas de blonda”. Maria has planned carefully for the future of her business because she wants to make it more lucrative and successful. Her employees are grateful to work and support their own families. With her fifth Kiva loan, Maria will buy a new sewing machine, as well as fabric.
Maria is the secretary of the Friendship Bridge Trust Bank “Margaritas de Chuatzam”, located in a rural area in the department/state of Solola. There are six other Maya K’iche ladies in the group who are also seamstresses. Others have corn dough mills called “molinos de Nixtamal”. (Nixtamal is used to make tortillas, tamales and more.) They feel fortunate to participate in the “Microcredit Plus” program of loans, education and health care services. The monthly educational training sessions are crucial to their success since they have little or no formal education. (Maria attended school for six years). Topics are drawn from four areas: business, health, family, women. Bi-monthly health care services, delivered by a visiting nurse, are also of immense help to Maria and her friends.
Thank you, Kiva investors, for your kindness in funding these much needed loans!
In this group: Bernarda Maria De Los Angeles , Lesly Francisca , Matilde , Ercilia Maria , Fidelia Elena , Julia Lucia , Juana Emilia
