Parents throughout the world understand the value of a good education and strive to enroll their children in school. Sometimes this is challenging, so some parents will also teach their children how to earn income. Olga is a 24-year-old single woman who indicated that her parents taught her how to grow cardamom, chili peppers, and basic grains. She studied in the afternoons and is proud to have earned a high school diploma. Ten years ago, she started raising chickens that she sells from home. Because she is a motivated entrepreneur, she wants to add another business selling gelatins and ice cream. She will use her first Kiva loan to buy a freezer for this new business, more chickens to fatten and sell, and seeds and fertilizers for her small farm.
Olga has joined six other Maya Achi women to form the Friendship Bridge Trust Bank “Las Doncellas”. They live in the Department of Quiche. Some are also farmers while others manage their convenience stores or raise animals. The “Microcredit Plus” program is essential to their success. They participate in monthly interactive training sessions that cover topics such as health, women’s issues, family dynamics, and business. They also receive basic health care services (exams, consultations, and family planning) on a bimonthly basis. Olga and her friends strive to empower themselves, educate their children, and seek a more prosperous future with profitable businesses.
Thank you, Kiva lenders, for lending a helping hand!
In this group: Olga , Violeta, Sara Aurora, Hilda, Juana , Brigida, Alicia