Economic Growth Colombia Project #24628

Empower Entrepreneurs Throughout Colombia

by Opportunity International

Project Report | Jul 27, 2017
Entrepreneur Empower Columbia

By Ian Haisley | Marketing

In the southern Colombian province of Huila, the area is marred by fighting between the illegal armed groups and the army. Martha and her husband, who are originally from the area, lived in the country, had a farm where they were raising and would occasionally give lemonade to members of the army. During their time there, Martha and her husband lived in fear that the guerillas were thinking of forcibly drafting their son to carry their guns for them in the mountains. They found themselves forcibly uprooted one when a guerrillas told them they were being accused of being government informants and they were aiding the army. With 12 hours to leave their home or be killed. They sold what they could to their neighbors and fled to Bogota with little more than the clothes on their backs.

Upon arriving in Bogota, it took a long time to get assistance from the government offices which were overwhelmed by the number of displaced persons so they resorted to begging for food and getting jobs where they could. They constructed a home out of scrap wood, metal and tar paper on a piece of land in Usme on the outskirts of Bogota, high in the mountains where they were squatting. Once Martha qualified for a government training program and became a security guard, she met someone at work who informed her about Opportunity International's trust group program. Upon contacting Opportunity, she was told that there were no groups in her village and that she would have to form a group of 15 people in her neighborhood if she wanted a loan. Despite not knowing anyone in her neighborhood, she knocked on every door until she finally had enough people to form a group and today Martha is the president of the “Fig Tree Trust Group”.

Martha and her husband started making a corn and milk based drink using her first loan and a recipe that he learned in another part of the country. They started by selling about 40 glasses each day for about $1, which then grew to become 450 glasses per day after two years of loans and required large milk deliveries in a truck. Due to their success, they have a solid brick house, an industrial stove and have even purchased a used car.

Martha's future expansion plan includes increasing her production levels and purchasing a fleet of motorcycles to distribute her product throughout Bogota. Besides being a blessing to her family, the trust bank is strong and united to the point where the group even gave a basket of groceries to one member whose family has been struck by illness. Martha and her family are extremely grateful for Opportunity International, which has been their only source of finance throughout their journey out of poverty.

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Apr 25, 2017
Meet Jose - A Baker from Bogota

By Lauren Thorn | Online Marketing Specialist

Jose at his bakery in Bogota

Twelve years ago, José and his ex-wife began selling baked goods from a small stall on the street in their community of Lucero Bajo in southern Bogota, Colombia. For eight years, they worked to build their business, selling more and more cakes and treats each year. Finally, four years ago, the two purchased a store front and began baking in the back of the building and selling from the front. The same year, they welcomed their son – celebrating both familial and company accomplishments.

José taught himself to bake and uses his own recipes – preparing popular treats like cheesecake and cream puffs. He is committed to preparing the highest quality products, choosing the best ingredients instead of trying to save money with poor-quality inputs. And now, he is extending his expertise to others by training new bakers. He has hired 8 employees, none of whom knew anything about the baking industry before coming under José’s tutelage, all of whom were eager to work hard and learn. Now, they wake up early to mix flour and eggs and sugar, preparing the many recipes they have learned from their boss and trainer.

José learned about Opportunity International and received his first loan to install an elevator to carry ingredients from the first to the third floor. Since then, he has continued to work with Opportunity, taking loans for additional machinery including a plastic sealer to package goods for delivery. Now, he has bigger dreams than ever. His team is building a new room to prepare artisanal cakes on the third floor, and he is always hoping for new tools and equipment to make their work easier.

Thanks to the success of his business, José is a well-respected leader in his community, and your support has helped other entrepreneurs just like him build businesses and provide for their families throughout Colombia.

Jose with his famous pastel de queso!

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Jan 26, 2017
Meet Nubia from Bogota, Colombia

By Lauren Thorn | Online Marketing Specialist

Nubia with her hand-crafted gift bags.

In Nubia’s small neighborhood of Verbenal Sur, Colombia people look for any paying work they can find. Plagued with material poverty and battered by the ever-present wind and cold, day-to-day life in the mountain village can prove quite challenging. Given the economic and social barriers the hardworking residents face, Nubia was thrilled to land a job for a gift bag company when she was just 15 years old. She assembled bags from home and shipped them back to the company.

Building on her new skills, she eventually launched her own business making and selling hand-crafted gift bags. She started slowly, but Nubia joined an Opportunity Trust Group to give her fledgling business a jump start. She received a loan and was thrilled when she began training to improve her business skills.

Nubia invested her first Opportunity loan to purchase raw materials in bulk at much cheaper prices. Before long, she more than doubled her inventory and was able to purchase a used car to conduct business and make deliveries, opening the doors for her to achieve a whole new level of success. She even started creating birthday bags and packing them with treats to attract new customers. Today, Nubia’s business is a family affair. Her husband works as the salesman seeking out stores to sell her products, and at Christmastime, when sales are highest, Nubia hires 3-4 more people to deal with the seasonal rush.

Nubia has a dream to create employment opportunities for her whole family and even more neighbors. She envisions everyone working together to create their own brand and line of party supplies. Her oldest son is a talented artist, so Nubia hopes that he will eventually work as a designer – empowering them to create their own unique products. Her other two kids are still discovering their interests and skills, but she is confident that she can find a role for them in the family business if they desire. Eventually, Nubia hopes to save enough to purchase a plot of land to build a family store and home, a dream she is confident she will be able to achieve thanks to the support of Opportunity.

Nubia at her workstation in her home.

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