Project Report
| Oct 11, 2016
Improving Lives One Harvest at a Time
By Jeannie Balanda | Executive Director
![Marta and her husband with their green bean plants]()
Marta and her husband with their green bean plants
Marta does not have an easy life. She is in her early 30s and has seven children. She lives in a small rural village where opportunities are few and far between. Yet, inspite of these obstacles, Marta is creating a happy life for her family.
Marta has ongoing work weaving products for MayaWorks. She supplements her income with microcredit loans that she uses to plant crops. Marta just paid off her most recent loan which she used to grow green beans. No doubt she will request another loan for her next farming project.
When Marta first requested a microcredit loan, her husband wasn't sure it was the right thing to do. He worried about getting behind in payments and about accruing interest. But Marta assured him she could manage a successful project. Since that first loan, there have been many other microcredit loans. Marta has paid each one of them off on time and has seen her profits grow from one project to the next.
The income she earns from her projects allows her to provide good nutrition for her family and send all of school-aged children to school.
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Jul 13, 2016
From Loan to Loom
By Jeannie Balanda | Executive Director
![The artisans of Agua Caliente]()
The artisans of Agua Caliente
The artisans from Agua Caliente are really excited. They're excited because their new looms have been installed which they purchased in part using microcredit loans. MayaWorks also provided some grant funds to help the women with their purchase of the looms. These looms are going to allow them to create a new product that promises to be a great seller -- a tallit, which is a prayer shawl used by Jewish people when they pray or attend services at the synagogue. They will also be able to use the loom to create many other products at their discretion that they will sell in their local market.
The woman have been hard at work perfecting the shawl. While the artisans are adept at creating shawls, this one has been particularly challenging because it requires significant sewing which is not something that comes second nature to them. They perservered and preliminary market tests show this is going to be a good seller. This is good news for the artisans. They will earn more income weaving this special product and they will be able to pay off their loan in a shorter time.
Microloans are an important part of the way we can suppot artisans as they work toward lifting themselves out of poverty.
![The new tallit on the loom.]()
The new tallit on the loom.
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Apr 14, 2016
Weaving for More than Just an Income
By Jeannie Balanda | Executive Director
![It's not a complete day if Lila doesn't weave.]()
It's not a complete day if Lila doesn't weave.
Lila recently requested a microcredit loan to expand her weaving workshop so she can give work to more women. Lila is a master weaver who's business has expanded because of her highly sought after skills. To keep up with demand, Lila has employed more women so she can turn in projects in a more timely fashion. Customers appreciate that, not only does she create impressive tapestries and huipiles, she also turns in her commissions within a reasonable time frame. Lila's work is so impressive, she is receiving commissions from customers in the United States!
With the income she and her fellow weavers earn, they are able to send their children to school, purchase land for the family's corn plot, and create additions on to their homes. Within the past year, Lila has expanded her home to include a second floor. This is her special oasis where she goes to weave in the mornings. Weaving, for Lila, is like breathing air. It's something she cannot live without.
Thank you to all those who support microcredit projects for women who cannot get tradtional loans from banks. It truly makes a differnce in their daily lives.
![Weaving makes Lila happy.]()
Weaving makes Lila happy.
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