Gilberto Rafael M. Hernández is 50 years old and lives in the Moras IV Etapa neighborhood in the town of Soledad, south of Barranquilla. He says that his neighborhood is relatively safe with very cooperative neighbors. He is married and has a 28 year old son. He has a business in his home where he sells merchandise, espcecially clothing and shoes. He does this with his wife and it is why he is asking for a loan of $1.600.000, to buy the described merchandise.

Gilberto used to work with furniture and products for the home. He also worked as a messenger for 17 years until 1997, when he stopped because the business went broke. When he received his severance, he began to travel to Magangue, a town in the department of Bolívar on the shores of the Magdalena river, the most important river in Colombia. Gilberto would bring fish from Magangue which he would sell. His wife also would make and sell bolis, a type of Colombian ice cream. She sells it now in the Estadio Metropolitano when there are soccer games. In addition to selling the bolis, both of them sell ice cream, candy and merchandise such as clothes, shoes and acccesories from the house.

This is his second loan and he invested the last one in improving the selection of merchandise in his business. In the future, he dreams of having a bigger business in a good location. Setting it up is also his biggest challenge since money is required. Additionally, his goal is to establish a workshop for his son, who is taking classes in automotive technology and vehicular gas technology in the SENA, a national organization that encourages learning.