Adding to basket
The members of the Luz y Progreso (Light and Progress) Communal Bank meet every two weeks in Portoviejo. For many years this city has been known as the City of the Royal Tamarinds.
This is where we meet Julia, age 54. She is in a common-law marriage, and they have seven grown children. Two of them live in her house. Her seven year old grandson, who is like a son to her, also lives with her. He goes to school. Her husband sells fish.
She is a small businesswoman. She sells clothes by catalog. She also has a mini grocery store. She sells rice, sugar, oil, and detergent, etc. She works every day from 6:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Sometimes she works later. She also sells clothes in her store because most of her customers always make purchases in her store. She takes advantage of this to show them her catalog products. Her products are delivered to her store. She tells us that she has had her store for ten years, and she has been selling clothes for two years.
She will use this loan to stock her store with more basic needs items like rice, sugar, oil, detergent, and sausages, etc. She will also buy clothes because she has several orders. She has been in the communal bank for 11 years. She likes it because the loans are very important to her life and to her businesses.
Her goal is to have a well-built house.
Translated from Spanish by Kiva volunteer Ginny Kalish. View original language description.
