SI microfinance

Felicita is a 59 year old, mother of six children, three of whom are married and three of whom single. One of her daughters, Amanda, is in constant need of medical care for an undiagnosed condition.

Felicita raises chickens for their eggs. She keeps some for her family, but sells most of them door-to-door. She grew up in a household with several animals, and equipped with this experience, she is confident that she can raise a healthy and marketable pig.

A recently fixed concrete pig sty awaits the arrival of her piglet. Her goal is to raise this pig, sell it for a profit, pay back her loan and buy another pig and then another. When she has saved enough from her profits, Felicitia would like to reinvest the earnings to buy a bull.

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Maira lives in a small community called El Gorrión. With her first loan of $160, Maira was able to buy the 600 lbs of animal feed needed to grow her 2 pigs. Maira paid off her first loan and was left with a healthy profit that was used to support her family. With this, her 2nd loan, Maira hopes to buy 2 more pigs and the animal feed required to grow them.

When Maira paid off her (fully supported) first loan of $160, the money was recycled into her new loan. An additional $50 is needed to fully support her 2nd loan.

Maira lives with her husband and 9 of her 11 children (the other two are grown and are living elsewhere).

Students International is currently in the process of getting permission to build a water pump to get running water to Maira's small town.

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Rosa is an entrepreneur at heart. With this, her third loan, she plans to buy an industrial grade stove in addition to the stove she already has. The new stove will enable her to cook a larger menu at her lunch time restaurant, where she works seven days a week. Rosa raises her own chickens to cook, increasing her profit margin, and also has a small flower stand in the entrance of her restaurant. When they are in season, Rosa and her husband harvest their apple crop and make the one hour trip at 4 am to Guatemala City several times a week to sell their product at the wholesale market. With her earnings from her businesses she is able to pay the monthly tuition costs for her three children to study in vocational school.

Rosa has had a restaurant business for over 15 years, including selling food for several years in Guatemala City.

Rosa, 43, lives with her husband and 4 children in Magdalena Milpas Altas.

While we were able to administer Rosa's first two loans with the funds we had available, we are still looking for a sponsor to support Rosa and fund her business loan.

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Sabina is fortunate in that she has a job in town with a regular salary. She works four hours a day, five days a week cleaning a wealthier family's home. In addition to house chores, she takes care of her chickens and her pigs.

Sabina paid back her first loan of $100 on time, and with her 2nd loan, she plans to buy a pig and the animal feed required to raise it. With her previous pig, she made over 90% profit because she used some of the meat to sell prepared meals, rather than selling all of the pork fresh.

Sabina, 51, lives at home with her husband and 3 of her 5 grown children. They are located in Magdalena Milpas Altas.

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Veronica and her husband own the Purina Mills store franchise in her small town, selling animal feed for chickens, pigs, cows, as well as veterinary medicines. With this loan, she plans to buy more animal feed from the wholesaler at once to cut down on costly trips to the nearby town and to have adequate inventory available for large orders. Her store has been in existence for over 2 years.

Veronica paid back her first loan of $260 on-time. To fully support her 2nd loan, an additional $50 is needed.

Veronica, 36, lives in her home with her husband, 3 kids, and her mother in Magdalena Milpas Altas. She also takes care of chickens and pigs on the roof of her home to provide additional income for the family.

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William owns a small piece of land in the country near Magdalena Mipas Altas. On his farm he has several animals, including 5 cows, 2 pigs, a bull, a goat, and a horse. With this 8 month, $310 loan, he plans to buy a cow to bulk up and sell.

William paid back his first loan of $260 on time. To fully support his 2nd loan, an additional $50 is needed.

William, 22, has been part of a small men's group where they have raised pigs cooperatively for the past 4 years.

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Teresa and her husband own two small restaurants in their town where they sell tacos in the evenings. They have 2 employees and have a supply chain that includes local vegetables and pigs (meat), chips from the capital city, and cheese from Mexico. Teresa also makes small handcrafts that she sells to people within the community. With this loan she plans to be buy more food at once, limiting the trips they need to make to buy food, and to buy a pig, so they can raise their own meat rather than buy it.

Teresa, 28, lives with her husband and 4 small children. Their youngest, Marcos, was born on April 23rd, 2009. They live in Magdalena Milpas Altas.

Lillian Teresa and her husband own two small (tiny in American talk) restaurants in their town where they sell tacos in the evenings. They have 2 employees and have a supply chain that includes local vegetables and pigs (meat), chips from the capital city, and cheese from Mexico. Lillian Teresa also makes small handcrafts that she sells to people within the community. With this loan she plans to be buy more food at once, limiting the trips they need to make to buy food, and to buy a pig, so they can raise their own meat rather than buy it.

Lillian, 28, lives with her husband and 3 small children, and is expecting another in April.

Luz stays at home during the days to take care of her four year old daughter as well as her chickens and pig. She also knits items such as children's clothing, kitchen potholders, and other items, and sells them within the community. With this loan, she plans to buy 2 pigs and feed for her chickens. She has raised animals from her home for the last 7 years, and plans to use the money from the chickens to buy feed for the pigs.

Luz, 36, lives in a very small home (even by Guatemala standards) with her husband and 2 of her 4 children. The oldest two are staying down the road in the home of Luz's brother for the time being. Their town is Magdalena Milpas Altas.

Update: Luz paid back her first loan of $260, leaving her with a healthy profit after growing and selling her chickens and her pigs. Luz has already taken out a 2nd loan in the amount of $260. Becuase her first loan was 100% supported through a donation, no additional money was needed to support her 2nd loan. With her 2nd loan, Luz will buy chickens, a pig, and the animal feed needed.

Profile: Luz stays at home during the days to take care of her four year old daughter as well as her chickens and pig. She also knits items such as children's clothing, kitchen potholders, and other items, and sells them within the community. With this loan, she plans to buy 2 pigs and feed for her chickens. She has raised animals from her home for the last 7 years, and plans to use the money from the chickens to buy feed for the pigs.

Luz, 36, lives in a very small home (even by Guatemala standards) with her husband and 2 of her 4 children. The oldest two are staying down the road in the home of Luz's brother for the time being.