Mujeres Luchadoras Sj Group

Twenty-three-year-old Petrona is a single mother raising two children ages two and four years. She came from a poor family; therefore, her parents could only send her to school for six years.

Four years ago, Petrona opened her business raising chickens that she sells from her home in the department/state of Huehuetenango. A year ago she opened another business, a convenience store. She plans to expand the inventory of her store, offer more variety, and increase her income. Petrona requests her second Kiva loan to buy products for the store and baby chicks to raise.

Petrona is President of the Friendship Bridge Trust Bank “Mujeres Luchadoras SJ”. There are seven other Maya Q’znjob’al women in the group who speak little Spanish. They sell traditional and casual clothing, shoes, raise livestock and poultry, have convenience stores, and cook chicken with fried potatoes. Since they have little or no formal education, they benefit greatly from monthly educational trainings, part of the “Microcredit Plus” program. Recent topics have been about business administration, the use of social media in business, and the risks of lending one’s name to another person’s business. Other topics are health, hygiene, nutrition, and self-esteem.

Kiva lenders, partnering with Friendship Bridge, are highly valued by Petrona and her friends. Thank you!

In this group: Carmelina , Maria , Petrona, Micaela, Candelaria , Paulina, Claudia Cristina , Juana Noemy