Economic Empowerment for 200 Women in Nicaragua

Adriana is a long-time beneficiary of Self-Help International, and she is famous in the Women’s Empowerment Program for being an excellent saver. She saves extra coins in a metal pail, and she is so dedicated that if she ever takes money out of her savings pail, she forces herself to charge herself interest. She must repay the pail in full, with 10% interest, in order to allow herself to use those savings. 

Adriana manages to run her business and raise her daughter as a single mother. Her daughter, Genesis, is 14 years old. Four years ago, Adriana encouraged Genesis to get involved in Self-Help’s youth-serving program in which children received broiler chicks and experimented feeding the chicks Quality Protein Maize (QPM). Ultimately, they concluded that the chicks fed QPM weighed more than those fed traditional maize and generated more profits.

Genesis says this experience was unforgettable and highly motivating. She remembers that when it came time to sell her QPM-fed chicken she made 190 cordobas (about $5.58 USD). She followed her mother’s lead in savings and set her money aside. One day, she asked her mom for a pair of sandals, which cost 300 cordobas ($8.81 USD), but Adriana told her daughter that the sandals were too expensive and that she couldn’t buy them. Inspired by her own mother’s entrepreneurship and what she’d learned from her broiler experiment with Self-Help, Genesis decided she would work to get the rest of the money to buy the sandals. 

Trucks commonly pass through rural communities in Nicaragua selling different types of food, and one day a truck selling vegetables passed by Genesis and Adriana’s house. Using her savings from the broiler chick project, Genesis bought 2 large watermelons at 80 cordobas ($2.35 USD) each to start her business. Witnessing her daughter’s budding entrepreneurship, Adriana helped Genesis cut each watermelon into 10 pieces. Genesis took the 20 pieces of watermelon with her to school, and sold each piece at 10 cordobas ($0.29 USD), garnering a net profit of 20 cordobas ($0.59 USD). 

This is how Genesis started her business, and by the time watermelon season was over, she had managed to save 300 cordobas - enough to buy the sandals she wanted. Once mango season started, Genesis went to her grandmother’s house where there is a mango tree in the yard. Her grandmother cuts down the mangos, and Adriana helps her peel them. Now in high school, Genesis brings 10 baggies of cut and peeled mango with her to school which she sells to her classmates at 10 cordobas per baggie. 

With her earnings, Genesis buys notebooks, pencils, and other school supplies. She tells us that she learned to save through Self-Help. Genesis is also very proud of her mother who, despite not having much and being a single mom, has always remained inspired to get ahead and provide her daughter the best life possible. 

Genesis' dream is to become a pediatric doctor or a systems engineer. Her current goal is to continue saving so that once she goes to university she’ll be able to help her mother financially. She hopes that once she’s completed university and entered a professional career, she’ll be able to give back to her mom - she wants to build Adriana a nice little house with chickens and a puppy.

30-year-old Zenaida lives with her four young children in Laurel Galán, Nicaragua. She is a baker, and she uses a big pan on top of an open flame to bake bread, pastries, enchiladas, and tacos. In addition, she makes natural juice drinks and fruit salads. Zenaida wakes up at 4 a.m. every day to prepare her foods, which she sells at the nearby school. 

Zenaida’s older children - her 9-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son - help a lot with her business. When Zenaida’s younger children, ages 7 and 8, come home from school each day, they also help their mother with her business. Zenaida’s youngest son, Robin Jr., sells her products on the buses. Robin is already thinking of a better future for himself, and he dreams of growing up to become a doctor to help those in need.

Three months ago (Jan. 2020), Zenaida was walking around Laurel Galán with her tray of bread for sale when she noticed a group of women gathered around - it was a Self-Help International Women’s Empowerment training session. With her bread still in her hands, she joined the group of women at their table and asked what they were doing and how she could be a part of their program. Zenaida became frustrated when she saw the women writing, and she explained that the only thing she could write was her own name. The other women insisted that Zenaida join their group, and they all agreed on a date for their next meeting.

On the day of the meeting, Zenaida arrived with her son Robin, who helped her take notes during the training. She learned about topics such as: self-esteem and leadership; the power of the mind; poverty and its causes; business management and entrepreneurship; accounting; and preparing a business plan. Zenaida hoped that with Robin’s support, she could access a loan from Self-Help to strengthen her business and install an improved oven for her bakery. 

“I like to participate in the training provided by Self-Help’s Women’s Empowerment Program because I learn something new and put it into practice,” Zenaida said. “Since joining the program, I can feel a change in my mentality. 

“I am taking better control of my business because I’m now able to keep track of my costs with the help of my son. Before the training, I only knew that I had profits when I noticed I had extra money left over from what I had invested.

“Now, I’ve learned to keep track of monthly savings for emergencies and investments. I feel very motivated and I thank everyone who takes the time to support the program in Nicaragua,” Zenaida said. “We are low-income women, and with the support of Self Help and the Women’s Empowerment Program, we can now get ahead.

“My greatest wish is to see my four children go to school and become professionals. I have faith in God I can achieve this goal because of Self-Help’s support,” Zenaida said. “Self-Help gives us not only loans, but also training, consultancies, follow-ups, recommendations, and meetings - both in the communities and at the training center. 

“My children and I are very grateful and happy with the support Self-Help is giving us. My children are very happy that I am participating in the program, and they tell the other children at school that their mother is a businesswoman with Self-Help.”