Adding to basket
Maria, a thirty-seven-year-old Mayan woman, lives in a rural community in the department/state of Totonicapán. She is married to a baby clothing merchant and has three children aged four to twelve. Two of the children are primary school students, the youngest is not yet attending school. Maria remembers that when she was a child she only attended first grade due to her parents' finances. However, little education did not limit her from starting her business twelve years ago to earn income.
María has a sewing machine where she makes baby clothes to order from home. In addition, she raises turkeys, chickens and pigs that she sells from home. These businesses allow her not to neglect her children who are still small. Thanks to the occasional support of her husband and eldest son, Maria manages to place orders on time.
Maria loved learning about Puente de Amistad's new program called Puente al Éxito, which consists of individual loans to women with larger, growing businesses. Maria is currently applying for her first individual Kiva loan to purchase wholesale fabrics, animals, and animal feed. In the future, she hopes to improve her businesses, improve her home, buy a vehicle to offer her businesses in other markets and provide better life opportunities for her children.
Thank you to every Kiva loaner around the world for your support of the visionary women of Guatemala!
Translated from Spanish. View original language description.
