San Isidro Group

The principal reason Guatemalan women work in the home without making a living is the low education level. Cristina, who is 33 years old, remembers having to leave school in grade nine because her family was poor. At the age of eighteen, she married a farmer and had five children (+15 years). She wants her children to be educated and has four of them in school from kindergarten up to grade 8.

For twelve years, Cristina's been raising chickens and turkeys that she sells from home. Also, together with her husband and two of her older children, she grows corn and cardamom. Part of the corn is for her family's consumption, the rest is up for sale; they sell the cardamom on order and in the local market.  Cristina is requesting her second Kiva loan to buy chickens and fertilizers.

There are eight women, who speak the Maya Q'eqchi' language and a little Spanish, who live in the department/state of Quiché. They have come together to form the communal bank "San Isidro" of Friendship Bridge. All the women have businesses from selling cardamom to breeding animals. Since they have very little formal education, they are grateful for the monthly education they receive as part of the "Microcrédito Plus" program. Many topics, including health, hygiene and finances, immediately resonate with their lives. They also learn how to avoid overindebtedness and participating in co-signed loans.

Thank you!

In this group: Rosa , Ana , Aura , Teodora , Francisca , Cristina Yolanda, Juana , Cristina , Lucia

Translated from Spanish by Kiva volunteerBeatriz Yuste. View original language description.