Adding to basket
Julia is a member of the “Belén” (Bethlehem) communal bank belonging to the city of Valparaíso. She is a street vendor; she sells clothes for adults and for children. Her merchandise consists of new clothes that she buys from distributors in the city of Valparaíso because the prices are low. Julia has been in this occupation for 26 years. Her work schedule is Monday through Saturday, 8-6 and her stand is located outside a soda fountain.
She will use the loan to buy men’s, women’s and children’s clothes. Also, she’ll buy building materials and supplies to do some home repairs because it was damaged by the February 27, 2010 earthquake.
Her goals are to set up a business in an established locale and Julia is already doing the paperwork and negotiating for the land to do so. Her motivations are primarily her health because going out to sell in the streets in the winter requires quite a sacrifice and Julia has problems with an arm and the cold exacerbates her condition. Because of this she will be having surgery. Julia lives with her husband and she has two married children.
She is grateful for the loan and the opportunity that Fondo Esperanza has delivered to start her business. With respect to the meetings, they are quite pleasant and she shares with the other members.
Valparaíso is located 120 kilometers northeast of Santiago. It is a regional capital and the seat of the national legislature. It is the nation’s main port and it has a variety of beautiful and picturesque places like, for example, Nobel Prize winning poet Pablo Neruda’s house.
Translated from Spanish by Kiva volunteer anonymized. View original language description.
