Sector La Bendicion Group

Forty-five-year-old Fernanda lost her husband five years ago and has been the sole provider for her three children, who now range in age from seventeen to twenty-two. Two of them finished the ninth grade, and the other is in high school. One of them is married and has Fernanda’s first grandson! Fernanda grew up in a poor family. Her parents could only afford to send her to school for three years. Six years ago, she opened her traditional textile business, embroidering traditional blouses/”huipiles” and aprons/”delantales”. Two of her children help her, and she sells by custom order.

She requests her seventh Kiva loan to buy fabric and thread at the wholesale level. Her goals are to expand the business and meet increased demand.

Six women, who are corn farmers and raise domestic livestock, elected Fernanda to be Treasurer of their Friendship Bridge Trust Bank “Sector La Bendicion”. They live in a community in the department/state of Quetzaltenango. Since healthcare is challenging to access and they have limited or no education, they appreciate the ‘Microcredit Plus' program of loans, monthly educational training, and bi-monthly healthcare services. Recent topics for the training have been about nutrition, first aid, preventative women’s health, and the risks of over-indebtedness.

With the partnership between Kiva and Friendship Bridge, Fernanda and her friends have the opportunity to create pathways to more successful futures! Thank you to each of you!

In this group: Yomara Nohemi , Catarina , Fernanda Matilde , Olga Leticia , Sandra Esmeralda , Irma , Antonia