Adding to basket
The Alianza Unida communal bank was organized in the city of Cuenca, which is located in the south-central part of the country. This city combines three cultures rich in symbolism, tradition and art: Cañari, Inca and Spanish. The members of this bank are tenacious woman who are heads of household; they struggle daily for the well-being of their families. They are a cheerful and united group that is always willing to cooperate among themselves so that all will progress both personally and economically.
Silvia N. is a very cheerful member of the bank. This is her 4th loan cycle with the Fundación thanks to her friend Zoila, who invited her to be part of this great group fo women. Silvia is only 23 years old, she’s married and has two sons: a three-year-old and a five-month-old. Her husband is a cashier in a public parking lot. They rent their home and her greatest wish is to buy a lot so that they can build their own house and a locale in which to set up her business.
She used her previous loans in her previous business, which was the sale of Yanbal brand products. Currently, she makes and sells humas (cheese tamales) and tamales (made of cheese and corn). She has been in this line of work for 8 months and she already has her regular customer base. She starts her work activities very early because making these little bites is very labor intensive; she has everything ready for her sales that start at 4pm.
She will use the funds to buy corn, cheese, butter, eggs and other ingredients needed for the preparation of humas and tamales.
Translated from Spanish by Kiva volunteer anonymized. View original language description.
