Adding to basket
In the place where the Flor de Campo borrower's group is found, the people work growing sugar cane, coffee, and oranges primarily. It is thanks to the alternative crops that the inhabitants tend to have employment the whole year since the economy depends mostly on sugar cane.
The members decided to name their group making reference to freedom and the place where they live. They are:
María – bakery and snack sales
Alejandro - sandal sales
Juana - bread sales
Tomasa - grocery sales
Aurora - shoe sales from a catalog
Grisel- clothing sales
Paula - gardening service
Tirso - watch/clock sales
Raúl – bulk orange sales
María is a woman with iniciative. Upon joining the group, she began to sell clothing, but changed her work after having losses due to some of her customers not paying. Finally, she decided that the best option would be to sell food. These days, thanks to the loans granted by VisionFund, and her earnings, she has a bakery. She works with her daughter who had an oven and they simply invested in flour, butter, sugar and trays for making bread. "The best thing about the bakery is working with my daughter," says María, whose day begins at 7 am and at 1 pm, a wide variety of breads are ready: conchas [shells], laureles [wreaths], sliced bread, rolls, donuts, small pasteries, teleras [sandwich rolls], and cuernitos [crescent shaped bread]. At the moment, María has the help of two delivery people, but she also is included. After baking, she takes a basket to sell in the streets of the community. On the weekends, and to increase the earnings, María sets up a small stand outside the church to sell traditional Mexican food.
María needs a loan to purchase flour, sugar, and butter since the the cold in the community is beginning to be felt, and the bread sales increase; the inhabitants look for a piece to go with the organic coffee that they also produce in their community.
*The photo was taking at the house of Juana, the daughter of María, who wears a brick colored sweater.
In this group: María Blanca, Alejandro, Juana, Tomasa, Aurora, Grisel, Paula, Tirso, Raul Humberto
Translated from Spanish by Kiva volunteer Wendy H. View original language description.
