Adding to basket
Elizabeth María A. is the second of four siblings. She is married and has a 13-year-old daughter who is in 9th grade. She lives in Galapa, her home town, and one of the oldest in Atlántico department. It is rich in cultural history, especially the wood and papier mache masks, woven reed crafts, sewing, painting on fabric, and dance. These activities gather the traditions of its inhabitants and enrich Colombia’s most famous festivals like the Carnival in Barranquilla, a city that is located 15 minutes away from Galapa. Elizabeth María finished second grade and taught herself in an empirical way how to communicate with her family and others using signs because, being hearing impaired, she never had the proper training in these skills. But her family, who are her guiding posts with respect to her personal development, helped her to realize her potential by providing her with technical painting courses. This allowed her, three years later, to be able to set up a small crafts business which consists of decoration and painting of fabrics. With this, her self-esteem and her self-sufficiency grew. Thus, with her immense desire to better herself and the loving support of her family, she learned how to sew on a family sewing machine and today she makes articles of clothing on which she applies the learned skills as value added. These are alternative products that have expanded her market and that have been made possible thanks to financial support from Fundación Mario Santo Domingo, with whom she has been associated for the last 3 years. Currently, she hopes to receive a loan for $1.500.000 that will be repaid in 18 month. 45% of it will be used to buy felt appliqués, sequins, beads, and a variety of other appliqués specially selected to decorate homes and families during the Christmas season with tablecloths, cushions, sheets, comforters, towels, pillows, trivets, throw rugs, curtains, and pictures that beautify the homes of those that request them. 55% will be used to buy fabric to make dresses on order that her customers will wear during these festivities. Elizabeth projects that this high sales season will increase her profits from which she will save enough to repay the loan, pay for her daughter’s 2010 school expenses and still have some to reinvest for the January and February seasons that are approaching, which are related to back-to-school and Carnival in Barranquilla. Elizabeth María is an excellent family member and very responsible with respect to her financial obligations. She has had 3 loans in the three years that she has been getting loans from Fundación Mario Santo Domingo; she has always repaid them in a timely fashion because she invests them in her business to grow and sustain herself. She hopes in the not too distant future to have a workshop and a new sewing machine that will permit her to make still better finishings on her clothing and to strengthen her market in nearby locations but she knows that she might have to make greater efforts to make commercial inroads if she is to reach her goals.
Translated from Spanish by Kiva volunteer anonymized. View original language description.
