The Western Highlands are filled with small rural communities surrounded by forests, lakes and caves. Santa Cruz El Quiché is one of these towns and it is here that eight Maya K’iche women have joined together and formed the Friendship Bridge Trust Bank “Mujeres de Canamixtoj”. They are beginning their second loan cycle with Kiva. Six of the women raise animals (chickens, turkeys, pigs, cattle), another is a seamstress, while yet another sells pork.
Elena, who is 33 years old with a second-grade education, is the mother of two children who are 12 and 13 years old. They are in the fourth and fifth grades. Elena works hard to take care of their personal and educational needs. She raises and sells chickens, pigs and cattle. Elena is requesting a loan to buy a bull and chickens, as well as some new tomato plants. She believes that she can increase her income with the harvest and sale of her tomatoes.
The women learn a great deal at their monthly meetings about taking care of their families (nutrition, hygiene, health), themselves (women’s rights, empowerment, self-esteem) and their businesses (planning, investing, savings). The combination of small loans and education is called “Microcredit Plus” and it works!
Thank you, Kiva investors, for partnering with Friendship Bridge in this effort! You are greatly appreciated by Elena and her friends in the Trust Bank!
In this group: Elena , Juana, Isabel , Concepcion , Alva Marina , Magdalena , Magdalena , Santos
*not pictured
Show previous loan details