“La Rinconada” is the name of the Friendship Bridge Trust Bank located in a rural area in the department/state of Quiche. There are 7 Maya K’iche ladies in the group who make beautiful traditional textiles, raise cattle, & sell fruit, vegetables & prepared foods. Their goal is to expand their small businesses & reach other markets. They are happy to begin their fourth loan cycle with KIVA.

Maria, a 22 year old mother of a 14 month old son, is the Secretary of the group with a 4th grade education. She has a small business buying chickens & turkeys that she sells in 2 nearby markets, as well as inside of her community. With the goal of expanding the business & being able to sell twice each week in the market, Maria is requesting a loan to buy 15 chickens & 16 turkeys.

All of the women benefit from their monthly educational trainings, part of the “Microcredit Plus” program of loans & education. The sessions are vital to their success as mothers, wives & entrepreneurs. They learn about women’s issues (women’s roles, reproduction, self esteem, empowerment), family concerns (health, hygiene, nutrition) & business management skills like budgeting, investing, & savings.

Gratitude goes to KIVA investors for supporting the goals & dreams of these women! You are much appreciated!

In an area in the department/state of Santa Cruz El Quiché, 8 Maya K’iche ladies have formed the Friendship Bridge Trust Bank “La Rinconada”. They are beginning their 3rd loan cycle with Kiva. Their goals are to improve & expand their small businesses that include animal husbandry (chickens, goats, pigs), traditional textile production (blouses, shawls, belts), fruit sales & convenience stores. They are determined to succeed not only to improve their own lives but those of their families. They are accomplishing these goals with the “Microcredit Plus” Program (loans + education) of Friendship Bridge.

The President of the group is Dolores, who is a 40 year old textile artist. She makes and sells traditional, colorful blouses called “huipiles”, shawls or “perrajes” & ornate belts called “fajas”. She is requesting a loan to buy a variety of high quality thread at the wholesale level & other supplies so that she can offer her customers new & innovative designs.

Education is an important theme in the lives of these women. Most have had little or no formal education. Dolores had a 3rd grade education. All of her older children have reached the 6th grade. Along with the ladies in the Trust Bank, Dolores participates in monthly educational trainings & learns about the world around her & within her. Topics like nutrition, health, hygiene or business planning & savings are very relevant.

Thank you, Kiva investors for funding these much-needed loans!

In La Rinconada, a rural community 20 minutes outside of the city of Quiché, live the 8 women of “La Rinconada” trust bank. Quiché is a large and beautiful city, a little chilly, located in the mountains of central Guatemala, where the people enjoy its full and bustling market, a lovely central park, and many bakeries where they can buy delicious cakes and breads. Between the ages of 19 and 58, almost all of the members are mothers of 2 to 10 children, and are married. For businesses, many of them raise animals, such as chickens and pigs, buying and selling them in Quiché, some weave local traditional clothing, others manage convenience stores or buy and sell animal skin/leather and other products that are staples in the local economy. With 9 cycles in Friendship Bridge, these women enjoy the themes of the various workshops, and all of the information they learn and can use to support the growth of their businesses.

Micaela is a group member who is 31 years old and studied through 6th grade, caring for her family of 4 children ages 12, 10, 7 and 4, with one child on the way, alongside her husband, who builds homes. The couple is providing education to their children. Micaela’s determination and the success she is seeing in her business, she buys and sales animal skins and leathers. Micaela is a busy lady, travelling frequently to buy her product from carnicerias, meat markets, all over Guatemala, and selling it in various locations in the city of Chimaltenango. With this Kiva loan, she will invest in more leather, confident that she will continue seeing increase in her profit.

Micaela is happy for all of the opportunities she receives through this organization called Friendship Bridge, such as the loans, the community support in her group, and the educational workshops where she gains tools and abilities to improve her life and her business. Thank you, Kiva investors!!

The population of the highland town of Chichicastenango is mostly K’iche’ Maya. “Chichi” refers to their ethnicity, and “tenango” roughly means “place of." The local customs of these proud people are deeply rooted and many, especially the women, wear the colorful and ornate textiles of the town. The cemetery of the town serves as a site for both Catholic and Mayan traditions. The large, noisy and colorful market, held on Thursdays and Sundays, is among the most famous in the Americas.

There is a great deal of poverty in the area, and no real government assistance for those needing a little loan. Eight women have joined together to form this Friendship Bridge Trust Bank, La Rinconada. They are requesting a loan from Kiva lenders. Tomasa is a member of the Board of Directors of the Trust Bank. She is 56 years old and has eight children. Her husband has a masonry business. Tomasa sells inventory at the wholesale level, for convenience stores. She also sells these items two or three days each week, outside of her home. She does not have her own convenience store, yet. Tomasa is requesting a loan that she will use to purchase more inventory, including rice, noodles, sugar, oil, laundry and dish soaps. She appreciates the ability to access a loan, so that she can sustain and grow her business. Her earnings will help her meet the household expenses, including the cost of sending her children to school.

The women of the trust bank La Rinconada become familiar with the world around them and within them, through the educational components of their monthly meetings. A Friendship Bridge Loan Officer, through drawings, games and role playing, presents timely and practical information on a variety of subjects. These include effective business practices, health, hygiene, nutrition, and the use of medicinal plants, as well as women’s rights and self-esteem. Friendship Bridge calls the combination of education and loans “Microcredit Plus."