Funded

Total loan: $1,200

Laura Segura

San José, Costa Rica / Retail

A loan helped to buy a special sewing machine (Kober brand).

Laura Segura's story

Laura Segura B. is 39 years old and lives near a small, rural, mountain community in Costa Rica called San Cristóbal Norte. In her town the people work in such activities as coffee production, vegetable farming, commerce, and the production of crafts. Laura has been married for 20 years and has three children: Adriana, who is 19, Karen, who is 17, and Kevin, who is 14. All three are students. When they got married, her husband was a farmer and she worked in the home.

They hoped to improve their living conditions, so they looked for alternatives. Fifteen years ago they started a business making clothes. At first they didn’t know anything about the business, so they experimented bit by bit. Now, Laura makes different types of clothing and sells it to businesses in the community and nearby towns, with the help of her husband. The business has greatly improved her family’s living conditions. Her greatest satisfaction is the fact that all of their children are able to study.

Laura is part of the Empresa de Crédito Comunal de San Cristóbal Norte (SACRIN) (Communal Credit Enterprise of San Cristóbal Norte), one of the 100 EDESA partner organizations in Costa Rica. As a member, she has received a total of 10 micro loans, which have allowed her to grow as an entrepreneur and to provide for her household’s needs. All of this has allowed her to improve her self-esteem, as she has gone from being a homemaker to a business owner.

Laura is currently requesting a loan of $1,200.00 to buy a special sewing machine (Kober brand). This sewing machine will allow her to make hems in blouses, t-shirts, and other clothing items. With this investment, she hopes to increase her production and improve the quality of her products. Laura says that thanks to this loan, she will be able to offer better options to her customers.

Translated from Spanish by Kiva volunteer Jennifer Day. View original language description.

Laura Segura B. es una señora de 39 años vecina de una pequeña comunidad rural montañosa de Costa Rica llamada San Cristóbal Norte. En su comunidad se desarrollan actividades como la producción de café, hortalizas, así como el comercio y la producción de artesanías. Laura lleva 20 años casada y tiene tres hijos: Adriana de 19, Karen de 17 y Kevin de 14 años. Los tres son estudiantes. Cuando se casaron su esposo era un agricultor y ella se dedicaba a las labores del hogar. Con el deseo de mejorar su condición de vida buscaron alternativas diferentes y desde hace 15 años iniciaron juntos un negocio de confección de ropa. Al principio no conocían nada del negocio así que fueron experimentando poco a poco. Actualmente doña Laura elabora diferentes tipos de prendas de vestir que luego vende en negocios de la comunidad y sus alrededores con ayuda de su esposo. Su negocio ha hecho que la condición de vida de su familia haya mejorado mucho. La principal satisfacción para ella es haber logrado que todos sus hijos puedan estudiar. Doña Laura forma parte de la Empresa de Crédito Comunal de San Cristóbal Norte (SACRIN), una de las 100 organizaciones socias de EDESA en Costa Rica. Como socia ha recibido un total de 10 micro-préstamos que le han permitido crecer como empresaria y atender las necesidades de su hogar. Todo esto le ha permitido mejorar su autoestima al pasar de ser una persona dedicada a las labores del hogar a ser una empresaria. Actualmente doña Laura requiere un préstamo de 1.200 dólares para comprar una máquina especial (marca Kober). Esta máquina le permitirá hacer ruedos en blusas, camisetas y otras prendas de vestir. Con esta inversión espera poder aumentar su producción y mejorar la calidad de los productos. Doña Laura dice que gracias a este préstamo podrá ofrecer mejores opciones para sus clientes.

More about this loan

As a small and relatively young MFI located in Costa Rica, EDESA has difficulty attracting other sources of capital. Many other microfinance funders do not work in Costa Rica, because overall the country is too rich. However, organizations such as EDESA work with extremely marginalized populations in Costa Rica that really need the access to capital that EDESA provides. By funding EDESA, Kiva lenders are allowing the organization to grow and reach more people than they otherwise would be able to reach.