Poorest Nicaraguans Start Sustainable Businesses

A Trickle Up Success Story...

Before learning about Trickle Up, Sixta González was unable to afford basic needs like medicine, visits to the doctor, or even the cost of nutritious food. A 57-year-old widow, Sixta learned about Trickle Up through a widows’ support group. Once she received her first grant, this mother of seven began her own business making traditional crafts and selling foodstuffs. Sixta used her first check to purchase basic supplies like corn, firewood, glue, and other products that she could use to make crafts. Now she sells the piñatas and earthenware pottery that she makes in addition to beans and her own baked tortillas.

With her profits Sixta can now afford to meet her own health and personal needs – visiting a doctor if she’s sick, for instance, and buying medicine to stay healthy. And in addition to improving her quality of life, Sixta’s business has taught her about trade and has enabled her to acquire market skills like buying and selling.

Sixta has learned how to manage her money, which has given her a sense of independence. Because she takes pride in the merchandise that she crafts, she plans to continue producing and selling her wares for a long time to come.

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Trickle Up helped start or expand 1090 businesses in 2006. Seventy-three percent of these businesses are women-owned.