This communal bank is called “Agua de Peumo.” It is made up of 17 entrepreneurs who work in different fields, chiefly making desserts; preparing and selling salads; and selling women's and children's clothing. All of them are residents of the city of Chillán.

María is a member of the communal bank; in the photo, she is in the back of the group, wearing a black jacket and a green scarf and with her hair tied back. She recently entered the field of commerce, and she is going to sell toys, taking advantage of the Children's Day and Christmas seasons. She previously worked as a temporary farm laborer. María has high hopes for meeting the challenge of her business.

With the loan, she will buy toys for her business. She has already prepared a list of popular toys.

Her goals for her business are to prosper and to establish herself with a stand in an open-air market.

María lives with her husband and her three children. All of the children are studying at various levels. Her dreams are to provide a better quality of life for her family. She wants to obtain her own house, and for this purpose she is going to apply for a housing subsidy.

She is very happy and grateful about the loan obtained from the Fondo Esperanza ["Hope Fund"], since it will allow her to invest and generate better earnings to achieve her goals. Additionally, she feels very comfortable with the group in her communal bank, since she has learned from the experiences of the other members and has felt how committed they are.

Chillán is a township in the central-southern zone of Chile. Its name means "seat of the sun" in Mapudungun, the language of the indigenous Mapuche people. Chillán is known as the "Cradle of the Country" or the "Land of Artists," since distinguished personalities in Chile's history have been born there, such as the well-known pianist Claudio Arrau.