Ana Cecilia R. G. is a 49 year-old woman who lives with her husband in a small community named La Trinchera de Pital, located in the Alajuela province. The main economic activities there are livestock and agriculture, particularly the cultivation of pineapples, being that these are sold principally in international markets. For this reason the community has seen economic development in recent years, generating an increased demand for goods and services that is providing better work opportunities for the population.

A short time ago Ana Cecilia started a business making women's purses. She says that she started with a borrowed machine, and little by little she has seen the business give results and now it is going very well. She makes different types of purses that she later sells in the businesses in the community; people also come to her house to buy them. Her small business has helped considerably to improve her family's living standards.

Now Ana Cecilia wants to take a loan of 400,000 Costa Rican colones, to buy a sewing machine and materials such as fabric, thread, etc. With this investment she expects to be able to increase her production and improve the quality of her products. She says that thanks to this loan she will be able to offer more and better options for her current and potential customers.

Ana Cecilia is a member of the communal bank "Mujeres al Éxito de la Trinchera de Pital" (Successful Women of Trinchera de Pital), one of 100 of such organizations that are part of EDESA in Costa Rica. This will be her first loan, and she hopes to continue to grow both personally and economically and to participate actively in the credit organization in her community.