Mi name is Bethzaida Camerón, a woman of 53 years old. I live in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. I graduated from Civil Engineering in 1993 and dedicated to this practices until 2007. In the meantime, I was working as a civil engineer, I was diagnosed with cancer. It was in 2000 when I received the terrible news. I went through breast operations and cancer treatment. During this process, I was curious of what could have caused this illness in my body. It was then that I thought about what I was eating. I asked myself: Why I ate? For what purpose I ate? What I ate?
After the diagnosis, I only ate for pleasure. I did not spend much time in the kitchen, because I did not want to clean after I cooked. The easiest way of making dinner was using the microwave. I was driven to prepare sausages, precooked meals, and drinking coke. My cellular system was acidified and I did not know the impact of these practices would have in my health.
Today, after 15 years of that diagnose I have become an ecological farmer and an “eco chef”. I share my knowledge and the food I prepare with natural and organic products. I spend every Saturday, from 8am to 1pm in an organic market in Old San Juan since 2011.
Because it is my passion to serve and make people aware of the dangers of not eating healthy is my desire to build a moving kitchen (food truck). I would like to begin this journey near my home in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico.
To make this dream come true, I am cultivating in my backyard natural and organic products to serve when the truck is ready to be in use. I am planting limoncello, basil, rosemary, aloe, Jamaica flower, kale, mizuna, peppers, tuna, turmeric, and a variety of other medicinal plants. In addition to the healthy meals, I would build the truck with a solar system to free the environment from fuel emissions. Moreover, I would like to include seminars to share with our neighbors the knowledge I have acquired of health, food, and medicinal plants.
Adding to basket
Choose a borrower
Browse categories of borrowers— people looking to grow businesses, go to school, switch to clean energy and more.
Repeat!
Use the repayment to support another borrower, or withdraw your money.
Make a loan
Select a borrower who you connect with and help fund a loan with as little as $25.
Get repaid
Receive updates on your loans and see the dollars return to your Kiva account.
Choose a borrower
Browse categories of borrowers— people looking to grow businesses, go to school, switch to clean energy, and more.
Make a loan
Select a borrower who you connect with and help fund a loan with as little as $25.
Get repaid
Receive updates on your loans and see the dollars return to your Kiva account.
Repeat!
Use the repayment to support another borrower, or withdraw your money.
Learn more about how Kiva works
Funded
A loan helped me to make my business reality.
Betzaida's story
This loan is special because:
More about this loan
Business Description
One day someone handed a paper that awaken the curiosity in me. The paper was about traditional remedies of our ancestress and had at least 40 medicinal plants that we had in our backyard. In this moment began my passion with Mother Earth.
After giving up my profession and looking for sustainability alternatives, a friend of mine told me thati I had gold in my backyard, referring to the many medicinal and cooking plants I had planted. The next week, I was sharing my passion to others and having nature sustain my finances. It’s been 10 years now that I live from that (growth, harvest and cook).
Today, my efforts have been over maintaining a peasant ecological meal in our table with our theme: “eating with pleasure and responsibility”.
We prepared natural food and beverage And teaching in events. Start selling food at 2011 to present Because we need natural food in the street Biggest challenge is everyone learn the easy way to get good health... My customers are every one want to get a green pharmacy at home....and minor vegetables in our home..and people want to eat natural My proud is we can live with our planet earth....know every plant how use....ect ect...
What is the purpose of this loan?
I will use this loan to prepare my kitchen, have the proper approvals required by the government. My desire is to continue educating people and providing then healthy food. After my health situation, I got a second chance and I don't what to let another day pass without telling everyone the importance a nutrition in our lives. I really hope you give me this loan because I am willing for social change
Loan details
Loan length:
Repayment schedule
Monthly: One repayment made per month
End of term: One repayment made at the end of the loan term
Irregular: Any other repayment schedule
To see a detailed repayment schedule for a specific loan, click the "Repayment schedule" link on the loan profile under "Loan details."
What is the disbursed date?
In the case of partner loans, many of our Field Partners choose to disburse loan funds before the loan request is posted on Kiva. We allow pre-disbursal because it ensures that the funds reach the borrower as soon as they are needed. Loan funds from Kiva lenders then go to backfill that amount and as a lender you assume the risk of the loan. By doing this, our Field Partners assume the risk that, if the loan isn't funded by lenders, they will have to fund the loan without any funds from Kiva.
If a partner loan is not pre-disbursed, it will be listed on Kiva with an expected "post-disbursed" date. If a post-disbursed loan is not funded on Kiva, there is a chance that the borrower may not receive their loan. Some Field Partners choose to disburse loans with other sources of funding, while other partners don't have the resources available to fund loans without Kiva lenders' support. No direct loans will be disbursed unless they fully fundraise on Kiva.
Funding model
What does "Partner covers currency loss" mean & how could it affect my Kiva loans?
Potential for currency exchange loss is noted on every loan profile under the loan details:
"Yes" means the Field Partner will cover any currency loss. Lenders will not bear losses due to currency fluctuation
"Partial" means that the Field Partner has opted to cover losses only up to 10%. If the U.S. dollar appreciates more than 10% against the local currency, those losses will be passed onto lenders.
"No" means that the Field Partner is not covering any currency losses and all losses will be passed onto lenders.
"N/A" means the Field Partner disburses loans to borrowers in USD so their loans are not subject to any currency fluctuation.
Do Kiva borrowers pay any interest on their loans?
Our partners collect interest from borrowers because there are many operational expenses associated with microfinance in developing markets, especially in rural areas. Many of Kiva's Field Partners also provide additional services alongside their loan products such as business training, financial literacy lessons, or health services.
Kiva will not partner with an organization that charges unreasonable interest rates, and we require Field Partners to fully disclose their rates. In addition, we only partner with microfinance institutions and organizations that have a social mission to serve the poor, unbanked, and underserved.
There are some 0% interest loans on Kiva, including all direct loans in the United States. To learn more about the interest rates Kiva borrowers pay, you can review the "Average cost to borrower" field on a loan profile.
What is a risk rating?
The Field Partner risk rating reflects the risk of institutional default associated with each of Kiva’s Field Partners. A 0.5-star rating means the organization has a relatively higher risk of institutional default, while a 5-star rating indicates the organization is at a relatively lower risk of default, based on Kiva's analysis and the available information displayed in the Field Partner section of every loan. Field Partners with the lowest credit tier undergo a lighter level of due diligence and do not receive a risk rating; instead, in places where a risk rating would normally appear, these partners are labeled as “Experimental.” For more information, see "What is an Experimental Field Partner?"
Direct loans also do not receive a formal risk rating. Instead, these loans are approved through “social underwriting”, where trustworthiness is determined by friends & family lending a portion of the loan request, or by a Kiva approved Trustee vouching for the borrower. Direct loans will appear as "Unrated" and lenders should always assume these loans represent the highest level of repayment risk on Kiva.
How are loans facilitated?
Kiva loans are facilitated through 2 models, partner and direct, that enable us to reach the greatest number of people around the world.
For partner loans, borrowers apply to a local Field Partner, which manages the loan on the ground. Field Partners are responsible for screening borrowers, disbursing loans, posting borrowers to the Kiva website for funding, collecting repayments and otherwise administering Kiva loans on the ground to borrowers.
For direct loans, borrowers apply through the Kiva website and may or may not be endorsed by a Trustee. Unlike Field Partners, Trustees don't handle any financial transactions or have any duty to repay loans on behalf of their borrowers. Instead, Trustees take the role of providing support and business advice to their borrowers throughout the term of the loan.
More information about successive and concurrent loans
Field Partners often work with borrowers over time to help them build credit and expand their businesses. In order to make it easier for partners to post loans for borrowers who have been listed on Kiva before, we allow some partners the ability to relist a loan without having to re-enter all of the borrower's information. When this occurs, you'll see an updated loan description, as well as excerpts of the original descriptions from an earlier loan.
Most borrowers take out loans consecutively, meaning that they receive a second loan after having repaid the first. However, sometimes our Field Partners give out concurrent loans, allowing borrowers to take out one primary loan and a secondary "add-on" loan along with it. These additional loans are typically smaller than the borrower's primary loan and serve a different purpose. We trust our partners to determine whether a borrower has the means to be able to repay a successive or concurrent loan.
About Finca la Yuca & Cocina Campesina
Lenders and lending teams
Country: Puerto Rico
Trustee
What are Trustee tiers?
For for more information about Trustee tiers, visit: kivaushub.org/trustee-tiers
Tags
Loan tags help lenders find loans that match certain areas of interest.
Loan details
Loan length:
Repayment schedule
Monthly: One repayment made per month
End of term: One repayment made at the end of the loan term
Irregular: Any other repayment schedule
To see a detailed repayment schedule for a specific loan, click the "Repayment schedule" link on the loan profile under "Loan details."
What is the disbursed date?
In the case of partner loans, many of our Field Partners choose to disburse loan funds before the loan request is posted on Kiva. We allow pre-disbursal because it ensures that the funds reach the borrower as soon as they are needed. Loan funds from Kiva lenders then go to backfill that amount and as a lender you assume the risk of the loan. By doing this, our Field Partners assume the risk that, if the loan isn't funded by lenders, they will have to fund the loan without any funds from Kiva.
If a partner loan is not pre-disbursed, it will be listed on Kiva with an expected "post-disbursed" date. If a post-disbursed loan is not funded on Kiva, there is a chance that the borrower may not receive their loan. Some Field Partners choose to disburse loans with other sources of funding, while other partners don't have the resources available to fund loans without Kiva lenders' support. No direct loans will be disbursed unless they fully fundraise on Kiva.
Funding model
What does "Partner covers currency loss" mean & how could it affect my Kiva loans?
Potential for currency exchange loss is noted on every loan profile under the loan details:
"Yes" means the Field Partner will cover any currency loss. Lenders will not bear losses due to currency fluctuation
"Partial" means that the Field Partner has opted to cover losses only up to 10%. If the U.S. dollar appreciates more than 10% against the local currency, those losses will be passed onto lenders.
"No" means that the Field Partner is not covering any currency losses and all losses will be passed onto lenders.
"N/A" means the Field Partner disburses loans to borrowers in USD so their loans are not subject to any currency fluctuation.
Do Kiva borrowers pay any interest on their loans?
Our partners collect interest from borrowers because there are many operational expenses associated with microfinance in developing markets, especially in rural areas. Many of Kiva's Field Partners also provide additional services alongside their loan products such as business training, financial literacy lessons, or health services.
Kiva will not partner with an organization that charges unreasonable interest rates, and we require Field Partners to fully disclose their rates. In addition, we only partner with microfinance institutions and organizations that have a social mission to serve the poor, unbanked, and underserved.
There are some 0% interest loans on Kiva, including all direct loans in the United States. To learn more about the interest rates Kiva borrowers pay, you can review the "Average cost to borrower" field on a loan profile.
What is a risk rating?
The Field Partner risk rating reflects the risk of institutional default associated with each of Kiva’s Field Partners. A 0.5-star rating means the organization has a relatively higher risk of institutional default, while a 5-star rating indicates the organization is at a relatively lower risk of default, based on Kiva's analysis and the available information displayed in the Field Partner section of every loan. Field Partners with the lowest credit tier undergo a lighter level of due diligence and do not receive a risk rating; instead, in places where a risk rating would normally appear, these partners are labeled as “Experimental.” For more information, see "What is an Experimental Field Partner?"
Direct loans also do not receive a formal risk rating. Instead, these loans are approved through “social underwriting”, where trustworthiness is determined by friends & family lending a portion of the loan request, or by a Kiva approved Trustee vouching for the borrower. Direct loans will appear as "Unrated" and lenders should always assume these loans represent the highest level of repayment risk on Kiva.
How are loans facilitated?
Kiva loans are facilitated through 2 models, partner and direct, that enable us to reach the greatest number of people around the world.
For partner loans, borrowers apply to a local Field Partner, which manages the loan on the ground. Field Partners are responsible for screening borrowers, disbursing loans, posting borrowers to the Kiva website for funding, collecting repayments and otherwise administering Kiva loans on the ground to borrowers.
For direct loans, borrowers apply through the Kiva website and may or may not be endorsed by a Trustee. Unlike Field Partners, Trustees don't handle any financial transactions or have any duty to repay loans on behalf of their borrowers. Instead, Trustees take the role of providing support and business advice to their borrowers throughout the term of the loan.
More information about successive and concurrent loans
Field Partners often work with borrowers over time to help them build credit and expand their businesses. In order to make it easier for partners to post loans for borrowers who have been listed on Kiva before, we allow some partners the ability to relist a loan without having to re-enter all of the borrower's information. When this occurs, you'll see an updated loan description, as well as excerpts of the original descriptions from an earlier loan.
Most borrowers take out loans consecutively, meaning that they receive a second loan after having repaid the first. However, sometimes our Field Partners give out concurrent loans, allowing borrowers to take out one primary loan and a secondary "add-on" loan along with it. These additional loans are typically smaller than the borrower's primary loan and serve a different purpose. We trust our partners to determine whether a borrower has the means to be able to repay a successive or concurrent loan.
Trustee
What are Trustee tiers?
For for more information about Trustee tiers, visit: kivaushub.org/trustee-tiers
You are opting out of using Free Trial.
You have selected to not use your Free Trial and will be prompted to pay for this loan using your own money.
Agree Use a Free TrialShoot! This loan is ineligible.
Your free credit can't be applied to this loan. If you would like to make a loan to this borrower anyway, you will have to use your own money.
Lend Anyway Find an Eligible LoanYou cannot use your Free Trial to support this loan.
Free Trials cannot be used to make loans during their private fundraising period on Kiva. If you would like to lend to this borrower anyway, you will have to use your own money.
Agree Find an Eligible Loan