An update from one of our loans in the Dominican Republic
Marcia Mejia is the Group Coordinator for the Confianza y Dignidad (Trust and Dignity) Bank of Hope in Hato Mayor.
This group of 5 hopes to utilize this microfinance loan to further establish their existing business ventures or create new operations in order to increase their profit levels.
Marcia has 2 teenage children, ages 18 and 14. Marcia plans to utilize this loan to increase the inventory of the products she sells. Currently Marcia sells a variety of men’s, women’s, and children’s undergarments. Marcia is dedicated to the success of her business as she dreams of one day owning her own large variety store and converting a room in her house to a store.
Loan funds will be used to increase current inventory levels and begin the process of creating a store.
An update from Maria España Ugaz Castillo in Peru:
This morning I visited Maria at her stall behind the chicken-sellers in the Micaela Market, an eclectic collection of stands along the main road which connects Pucallpa to faraway Lima. Maria sells cooked beans out of two extra large pots. Every once in a while she interrupted our conversation to call out “Frijoles!” (“Beans!”) to passers-by. Maria gets up around 3:00 am to begin cooking the beans over charcoal. By 7:00 am they are ready. Maria works every day from Monday to Saturday, taking Sunday off to attend church.
Maria just received a new loan of 1500 soles (about $500) from Manuela Ramos through her communal bank, “Mujeres Perseverantes” (Persevering Women). She plans to use part of this loan to start up another business selling cooked meats in the evening from her home. The money will go toward purchasing plates and cups to serve the food to customers as well as toward more beans for her current business. Maria decided to start this additional business to supplement her income because bean sales have not been very good lately. Although Maria’s two adult sons, who are policemen in other towns, have helped Maria to pay her loans, she does not want to count on their help indefinitely.
Maria told me that the fact that her bean sales are down is due in part to competition from other sellers in the market. She also must face a lot of fluctuation in the price of beans, which makes having a steady income more difficult.
Maria is a widow and lives with her 25-year-old daughter who works as a secretary at a local school. Maria went to work for the first time after her husband died three years ago. Around that time Maria began working with Manuela Ramos and used her first loan to start her bean-selling business. Maria told me that she enjoys selling. Without her loans from Manuela Ramos, Maria told me, she would not have the capital to work. She is proud to have never gotten behind in her loan payments.
In this short video clip Maria talks about her goal of moving forward with her business.
Gulinor’s business has greatly grown and all this is out of the success brought forward by Kiva lenders who have indeed helped to see people have change successful lives.
Gulinor started by buying 4 cows, after getting the loan she increased the number of her cows and now she is able to buy and sell more cows every month. Gulinor is very thankful to Kiva and all Kiva lenders who supported her, as exactly your timely assistance allowed her developing her business.
An update from our of our loans to an Afghanistan entrepreneural team:
Laulam group could bring many new changes to their business after the loan they all could progress their business.
Laulam’s husband could buy more fruits and vegetables for his shop. Mustafa could purchase more paint for his work. Roshan Gul could buy more cloth for her business. Badam Gul could buy a new machine for her business.
Peter. Flemish, European, aid worker, blogger, expeditioner, sailor, traveller, husband, father, friend, nutcase. Not necessarily in that order.
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