Adding to basket
Fifty-five-year-old Catarina shares that she had no formal education because her father thought she should care for their flock of sheep. She married and then twelve years ago, separated from her husband. Her seven children are now between the ages of twelve and thirty-five years of age. The youngest, who is twelve years old, lives with her and is in the third grade. Catarina has three grandchildren. She has been buying and selling traditional textiles in three different markets for fifteen years. She will use her sixth Kiva loan to buy more traditional textiles to resell.
For women like Catrina, the Friendship Bridge “Microcredit Plus” program of loans, education and health care is crucial to creating a more successful future. She has joined seven other Maya K’iche women who have formed the Trust Bank “Inmaculada Concepción”. Learning about effective business management practices helps them with their convenience stores, sales of tortillas, basic grains, vegetables and traditional textiles. They look forward to their monthly meetings when they make loan payments and then participate in an educational training, designed by a Facilitator. Topics are timely and drawn from four areas: business, health, family, women. Every other month, they have access to basic health care services that include consults, exams and family planning.
Thank you, Kiva lenders, for lending a helping hand.
In this group: Rosario , Maria Elena , Santos Agustina , Catarina , Maria , Margarita , Antonia , Angelica Cirstina
