By Jeannie Balanda | Executive Director
Last year Juana applied for a microcredit loan to purchase thread to weave huipiles for the local market. Huipiles are the beautiful hand woven shirts indigenous Maya women wear. They are woven on a backstrap loom and can take months to complete depending on their complexity. Juana also used the thread to weave table linens for the tourist market around Lake Atitlán.
Her $400 loan allowed her to purchase enough thread to get started with some commissioned huipiles. It also allowed her to purchase some old weaving equipment that desperately needed to be replaced.
On a recent visit to her home, she proudly showed off her hand woven items. She was most proud of her thread supply which she keeps locked up because she says her granddaughters like to help themselves to her thread!
We're proud to say that Juana just paid off her loan. She continues to weave huipiles for other women and hopes to spread her business into neighboring villages. We have no doubt she will apply for another loan when she is ready to expand her business.
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