GlobalGiving.org: Microloans Help Guatemalan Women Reach Their Goals

Microloans Make a Difference for Single Mothers

Jeannie Balanda — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:32:57 GMT

Maria Elena at her loom

María Elena was born in San Juan Comalapa in 1970. Her father died when she was 13 years old. Unfortunately, her mother did not have the financial means to keep María Elena and her siblings in school so, at the age of 13, María began to work to help support her family. As is the case with many young Maya women, María began to make a living by weaving. Initially, María spun thread but it brought her very little money. In order to earn better wages, it was necessary that she learn to weave on a treadle foot loom. Soon after she also learned to sew which allowed her to make many more products and more money.

María married when she was 26 and has one son. Her husband died early on in their marriage. Being a single parent has been very difficult. She doesn’t have someone to sow their fields and provide firewood which means she has to buy staples like corn and beans and pay for firewood. Her son is 15 years old and is in junior high. When he isn’t studying, he helps his mother around the house and also weaves on the foot loom to help with the household expenses.

When María isn’t weaving, she supplements her income by selling Omnilife products that she purchased with a $40 MayaWorks microcredit loan. She loves selling nutritional supplements in her community because she feels she’s able to help people improve their quality of life. María was very happy when her first client’s health improved using the Omnilife supplements she sold to him. Now she has many clients who seek her out for her products and she is expanding the number of products she offers her customers. María is well on her way to paying off her loan and securing a steady income from her product sales!

Links:

Learn more about MayaWorks on our website

Meet Lili Carmen Master Weaver

Jeannie Balanda — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:09:38 GMT

Lili loves to spend her time weaving

Lili Carmen Osorio lives in the Central Highlands of Guatemala high up in the picturesque town of San Juan Comalapa, a place famous for its painters. Lili has been weaving since she was a little girl. Now, women from all over the highlands come to her to commission the beautiful guipiles she is famous for. Lili has perfected a complicated weaving technique called "marcador" or double-sided brocade. Only master weavers care capable of creating weavings that are identical on both sides.

Lili uses her MayaWorks microloan to expand her weaving business. She's bought thread in bulk, purchased a new, larger loom and equipped her looms with heddles. Because of her growing business, Lili is able to send all three of her children to school, provide them with the necessary nutrition to keep them healthy and suport her family when her husband is out of work.

Her weaving work not only allows Lili to care for her family but it also makes her feel fulfilled. She knows that she is contributing a valuable service to her community while doing something that she loves. Lili especially enjoys weaving when she is at home surrounded by her family.

Thank you for supporing MayaWorks microloan program. Your donations help more women like Lili realize their dreams.

27 Loans are Funded

Jeannie Balanda — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 21:02:53 GMT

Margarita and her sewing machine

Hello friends of MayaWorks! I'm so pleased to report that 27 women are benefiting from MayaWorks microcredit loans. They're using their loans for every venture under the sun from selling vitamins to raising pigs! Our loan recipients are happy and they are making money! And this means there is more income to provide better food for the family, send children to school and take care of elderly parents.

Our field staff just visited the women in San Marcos La Laguna who recently received microcredit loans. The reports were very positive. Very few of these women have ever had loans in the past so they received more training and supervision and it has paid off. These projects, which include belt-making, corn crops, and lumber sales, are going well and are expected to make the women a profit.

We are grateful to our supporters who continue to make these projects a reality for Maya women. ¡Mil gracias!

MayaWorks Funds 11 New Micro-Loans in April

Jeannie Balanda — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 16:00:01 GMT

MayaWorks has funded 11 new projects in the San Marcos La Laguna community totaling $5,000 in micro-loans. Because they live on the shores of Lake Atitlán, a popular vacation destination, most women will use their loan to purchase materials to weave products to sell to the tourist market. Others plan to use their loans to plant coffee seedbeds and then sell the seedlings to local farmers.

We feel the way to fight global poverty is to focus on women because we know, when women earn an income, they reinvest 90% of it into their families. These projects are made possible because of donors who are committed to the economic development of women. Thank you again from the field!

Friends of MayaWorks Visit Loan Recipients in Guatemala

Jeannie Balanda — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 21:48:40 GMT

Raspberries harvested from a microcredit project

We recently returned from a fabulous trip to Guatemala where the weather was 70 and sunny every day! Quite a difference from last May when tropical storms pummeled the land of eternal spring!

Every year in February MayaWorks takes a group of social justice-minded people to Guatemala to visit our weaving groups, see our education programs and learn about microcredit first hand from loan recipients. Our friends have the opportunity to speak directly with women who use their microcredit loans to purchase everything from land, to seed for crops, to livestock, to raw materials to create natural cleaning products. These chats with the women are always a highlight of the trip. North Americans are amazed at the ingenuity and resilience of indigenous women and are impressed at how they use their profits to further invest in their projects which, ultimately, allows them to put better food on the table for their families and send their children to school.

There are always challenges, though. Because crops were destroyed by the terrible storms, women are in desperate need of corn, the staple in the Guatemalan diet. To respond to this need, in the coming weeks MayaWorks will distribute corn to the families who lost their crops and will continue to provide assistance until all families are back on their feet.

Thank you for your support of our microcredit program. It goes a long way in helping women to become financially independent and take better care of their families.

Tour participants visit a project

Women Rebuild Projects After Devastating Losses

Jeannie Balanda — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 20:46:43 GMT

New blackberry crops planted after Agatha

I recently returned from Guatemala where I had the opportunity to meet with many of the women who lost their microcredit projects to Tropical Storm Agatha. The resiliency of these women never ceases to amaze me. They have replanted their crops and are tending to them with great care. Soon they will have blackberries, green beans and potatoes that they will either sell in the local market or export through an intermediary.

We know that when women have access to income, they invest it in their families and villages. In the face of adversity, women persevere so that they can put healthier food on their tables, take their children to the doctor when they are ill and send them to school.

We are all transformed when women come together to make the world a better place! Thank you for caring about the economic development of women in developing countries. May you and yours have a happy holiday season!

Women meet to discuss how to rebuild projects

Projects Affected by Worst Weather in 60 Years

Jeannie Balanda — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 19:29:47 GMT

Concepción is thankful for emergency provisions.

This has been the rainiest season in Guatemala in 60 years. The torrential rains have caused mudslides, rockslides and complete washouts of rural communities. Homes have been destroyed, automobiles have been buried under tons of mud and crops have been lost.

Unfortunately, most of MayaWorks' food projects have been lost to flooding. Currently, we are assessing the damages but we are confident that our loan recipients will bounce back from this setback. To aid our communities in getting back on their feet, MayaWorks has distributed well over 4,000 pounds of rice, beans, cereal, sugar and corn to community residents. Families, whose homes were damaged by the storm, will receive financial assistance to repair walls, roofs and floors. They will also receive aid to replace personal property lost in the terrible storms.

And, of course, we will stand by our families when they are ready to replant their fields!

Projects Thrive Despite Tropical Storm Agatha

Jeannie Balanda — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:28:33 GMT

Berries are nearly ready to be harvested!

While MayaWorks artisans were deeply affected by Tropical Storm Agatha, thankfully they are unharmed and no microcredit projects were lost!

In the weeks following the devastating storm, MayaWorks distributed more than 4,000 lbs of emergency food supplies and is currently helping artisans rebuild damaged homes and replant crops. Despite setbacks caused by Tropical Storm Agatha, artisans are eager to pursue income generating projects and are looking forward to the opportunity to apply for low interest loans to make their dreams a reality.

Consistent with MayaWorks’ mission to provide a steady income for artisans, the microcredit program exists to help women develop as entrepreneurs by managing other income generating projects. Artisans must complete a loan application that includes a simple business plan. The business plan outlines all expected expenses, a time line of the income generating project and the expected profits. It also includes a simple analysis of marketing and selling expenses. If the project will result in a profit for the artisan, the project will be approved and the artisan will receive her loan within one week of approval and after attending an initial financial management workshop.

During the course of their project, artisans receive quarterly site visits by the Program Coordinator to evaluate how the project is progressing. If an artisan is experiencing difficulty with the project, she will receive technical support from staff members and will be visited more often. Artisans must also attend periodic business trainings to be eligible for further loans.

Women have created a range of interesting projects from crop cultivation to a stuffed animal business to natural home cleaning supplies.

Pigs are growing nicely in preparation for market!

Catalina has readied her field for planting!

MayaWorks funds four new microloans in April

Jeannie Balanda — Mon, 10 May 2010 18:32:35 GMT

In April MayaWorks funded four new projects in the community of San Marcos La Laguna on the shores of Lake Atitlan. One woman is expanding her corner store to include more products her customers need. Another entreprenuer will use her microloan to make aromatic cleaning products for the home. Finally, two entrepreneurs are starting a weaving business. They plan to weave huipiles, the beautiful blouses that Guatemalan women wear as part of their "traje". Each huipil can take several months to weave. Because more women are working outside of their home, many do not have the time to weave their own huipiles and so they hire master weavers to weave their clothes.

Microloans give women entrepreneurs the opportunity to work from home allowing them to care for their families while earning an income. A big thank you to GlobalGiving donors who help make MayaWorks microcredit program possible!

Links:

New York Times article on how banks profit from microloans

Eight new microloans funded!

Jeannie Balanda — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 20:03:23 GMT

Francisca proudly shows off her blackberries

Thanks to the generosity of GlobalGiving donors MayaWorks has funded eight new projects since the beginning of the year! The projects are very creative and promise a healthy return on investment.

Women are selling milk obtained by the purchase of a dairy cow and are raising baby pigs to be sold at market for meat. Others have planted crops such as peas, blackberries and potatoes which will be sold to exporters. One entrepreneur has opened a small stuffed animal business!

There's no limit to what women can do when given the tools to succeed!

Arcadia's happy with the income from her dairy cow