Micro-credits for Baru Island entrepreneurs

Sergio was borne in May, in the Rosario Islands, “The best place to grow up because of the calm you can even breath in and because of the sympathy of its people” as he remarks.

When he was a child he practically lived in the sea. He helped his parents with the tours they gave to people who came to the Island attracted by their white sand and crystalline water.

This trained him in a virtue that has helped him through all his life: Charisma.

When Sergio was 6, his parents died, so he went to live with one of his 14 siblings, who sold lobsters to tourists. Sergio also helped his brother in the afternoons after he finished all the homework they gave him in a school that only had elementary. Sergio repeated fifth grade 3 times because they didn’t have enough money to send him to middle school in the nearest town.

He learned mathematics. This helped him in the family business, in which he was in charge of the accounts.

A while later, he met Dunia, his beautiful greed eyed wife, and he moved to Baru (town) were they have lived since then.

Sergio started working in general services in a new hotel near Baru because he needed to watch after his wife and son. With his savings, he bought a boat and asked the hotel General Manager if he could work giving the tourists boat rides. The Manager accepted and a while after was very satisfied with Sergio’s work especially because of the way he treated the tourists.

5 years later, Sergio thought it was time for a change so he asked the hotel if he could sell handicrafts at the entrance, the ones he had always liked because he thinks are the reflex of the colors of his hometown. He sold the boat and bought everything he needed for the business.

This new business have given Sergio for 18 years the income needed to build this house in Baru, to educate his children (2) and he has even learned a little bit of English in order to offer the tourist the necklaces, purses, handbags and earrings he personally make, accompanied with a smile.

Links:

• Learn more about our work in Baru

A GOOD COMPLEMENT

We arrived at Ariel’s house the agreed day. We were welcomed by Edith, his wife, who told us that Ariel would arrive shortly. He had gone out for a minute.

Immediately, Edith pulled out us a chair and without asking served us delicious lemonade in a simple disposable glass with a straw cut in half.

At 11:45 am the costumers started to arrive. The menu of the day was rib soup and oil rice. The costumers asked Edith for one, two, three lunches, that she served generously.

While attending customers, she told us that the business was going very well. Just at that time Ariel came in, a little nervous he shacked hands with us and sat down. We asked him how this year had been for him, his family and his business and he immediately and confidently replied: excellent! He told us then that one of his daughters was about to graduate from high school and that he had been able to pay for his other daughter’s professional career without problems.

He told us that before they started the business, he worked as a waiter in Cartagena. Some hotels and private events called him sporadically, but one day he decided to try his luck in Baru as someone that worked with him told him about the island. That is how he settled in Santa Ana, about four years ago and began to sell juices.

Then he met Edith, his wife and partner, who already sold lunches and that is how, lunches and juices began to be sold together. As we speak, Edith did not stay still, she continues to serve lunchs, fold clothes and sell mainly sweets in their small Candy sale in which they invest when they received the credit.

Ariel and Edith are a couple that reflect peace. They are satisfied with their business and life. Every day at 7:00 am they open their business. In addition to lunch, they sell dinners. Sometimes there are so many customers that they work until 10:00 pm. In September, they finished paying for the loan they received. They always paid on time.

We wish them success and that their business continues to grow and be very prosperous.