Adding to basket
Catarina is 42. She grew up with her parents, and says that from small she would travel with them to the southern coast of Guatemala to harvest coffee. In this way they were able to obtain an income to live, including covering the costs of school supplies so that she and her four siblings could study.
She began helping her mother with domestic work, and learned the domestic trades and how to weave. At 17 years of age she became pregnant out of wedlock. As a single mother she had to work doing domestic work for neighbouring families and weaving, in order to obtain an income to raise her daughter. At 26 years of age she got married, and has three children from this marriage as well as her first child.
She found out about the opportunities provided to women by the loans from the Asociación Chajulense de Mujeres Unidas por la Vida, which interested her, and this year obtained her eighth loan. She has used each loan to purchase threads for weaving, and to sell her traditional woven fabrics.
Catarina is leader of the group Soñadoras 1 ("Dreamers 1"); the group comprises four women all of Maya Ixil ethnicity. The group will invest 25% of funds in agriculture and 75% in textiles. On average, each member of the group has two children, and the average age of the members is 50. Some 50% have no literacy, 25% finished their primary education, and 25% finished their secondary education to the 11th grade.
In this group: Catalina, Catarina, Catarina, Catarina
Translated from Spanish by Kiva volunteer Violeta. View original language description.
