Caitlin Mitchell - February 2008 - Senoras de las Piedras

February 13, 2008

I just finished my week-long visit to Retalhuleu and I write you with both exciting and encouraging news!

The first bit of news is that I thoroughly enjoyed my home stay experience with the loan officer. For four nights and five days I lived side by side with Jacqueline Aguilar, the loan officer for the Senoras de las Piedras. I shared a bedroom with Jacqueline and her three siblings, ate meals with her family, and traveled on chicken buses to nearby towns to visit with NamasteDirect clients. As I got to know Jacqueline’s family, I was very impressed to learn that Jacqueline’s mother is a current Namaste-affiliate loan recipient. With the money she has earned with the help of her loans, Jacqueline’s mother has been able to contribute to the family’s finances and ensure that her children receive good educations. This hard work has paid off, as her eldest child, Jacqueline, is now a loan officer for the organization that helped the family break out of poverty.

I enjoyed the homestay experience not only because it offered me unique insight into how Guatemalans really live, but also because I believe it helped facilitate the interview process with the clients. Living with Jacqueline and her family helped me develop an intimate relationship with her. By the second day, we felt very comfortable with one-another and I believe it was the familiarity with which Jacqueline and I interacted that caused the loan recipients to trust me and speak candidly to me about their lives and businesses. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my week with the Aguilar Family and am confident that future fellows will enjoy the homestay experience as much as I did!

Among the dozens of NamasteDirect clients that I met this week, several especially touched me and I wish to share their stories with you.

Maria Barrios Gramajo

The first is the story of Maria Barrios Gramajo. Doña Maria is the single mother of a twelve-year old son. The father of her son abandoned her when he found out she was pregnant and, as a result, she has single-handedly raised her son for over a decade. Lacking formal education, she has worked for many years as a cleaning lady. Although Doña Maria works very long hours, the pay for such work is very low and, as a result, she lives with her son in a very modest, one-room shack. The shack consists of a few sheets of tin nailed together and a dirt floor. It lacks electricity and running water and, due to frequent robberies, the only items in the house are two bed frames, both of which lack mattresses, on which she and her sleep. While Doña Maria lives in severe poverty, she is hopeful that with the help of her NamasteDirect loan, her living situation will improve. She used the 1000 Quetzales she received to purchase second-hand clothing from nearby markets. She now sells these clothes to the owners of the houses she cleans. With this additional income, she is able to buy much needed necessities, such as school supplies for her son. Although she still has a long way to go in her journey, NamasteDirect has provided Doña Maria with the means to take her first step towards overcoming poverty.

Angelica Ramires Lopez

The second story is of Angelica Ramires Lopez. Doña Angelica has worked for several years as a saleswoman for an order-by-mail catalogue. While she has many clients, she has not been able to increase her sales because she must have enough cash to cover the entire cost of the products before she can mail in the order. This is difficult in Retalhuleu because the majority of her customers is poor and can only pay for products in installments. Therefore, the process of selling a product and receiving the commission from such a sale is very slow. However, several months ago a friend told her about NamasteDirect’s loan program. She decided to apply for her first loan. After receiving her 1000 Quetzales loan, Doña Angelica has increased sales because she now has the capital to pay for her customers’ orders in advance of receiving payment in full.

Doña Angelica invited me into her home for her interview. She lives with her husband and four sons in a one-room wooden house with a tin roof and cement floor. As we sat down at her table to conduct the interview, she proudly pointed out three photographs that were hanging on the wall above the table. They were of each of her three oldest sons and had been taken upon their graduations from Primaria (primary school). Doña Angelica was very proud of the fact that all of her school-aged children are in school. For a woman who did not receive more than a couple years of schooling, she feels this is the most important gift she can give her children. She hopes that all of her sons will be able to stay in school so that they will be equipped with the tools to obtain well-paying jobs. With the help of NamasteDirect donors, Doña Angelica is on her way to making this dream a reality.

Blanca Juarez Garcia

The third story I wish to share with you is that of Blanca Juarez Garcia. Doña Blanca’s story is so powerful because it illustrates how microcredit loans really do change lives. Doña Blanca was the oldest of eleven siblings. Her mother was physically abusive and forced her to forgo schooling and instead take care of her younger brothers and sisters. She was not allowed to date and her mother would hit any boy that came to the house asking to date her. Nevertheless, one boy persisted and, after being assaulted on four different occasions, was allowed to date Doña Blanca. They were married one year after they started dating because she saw marriage as the only opportunity to escape her awful living situation. However, shortly after they were married, she discovered her husband was an alcoholic. This greatly troubled her and for years she tried to get him to stop drinking. Her husband did not think he has a drinking problem and, as a result, her efforts were fruitless.

Doña Blanca’s husband had neither land nor a house when he married her. His uncle gave them permission to build a house on his land, but as they had no money, they lived in a one-room shack made out of plastic bags. Her husband was a soldier for the Guatemalan government and his job required him to be gone for twenty days to a month at a time. He would only provide her with 200 Quetzals a month, an amount that was not nearly enough to live on. Doña Blanca had no other choice but to begin making money herself, but with a new-born baby, she had to work at home. She took out her first loan, which allowed her to begin making clothes and raising pigs to sell in the market. Later, she began cooking tamales and other dishes to sell. From the money she earned in these endeavors, Doña Blanca saved a little each month with which to buy cement blocks. After several years, she had enough blocks to build a house so that she no longer had to live in the shack made of plastic bags. In 1997, she took out a small loan with which she built a second small house on her property which she currently rents out. Her third loan helped her to buy clothes, which she then began selling on foot. Her fourth loan allowed her to buy a small warehouse in which to store her merchandise at night. Another loan provided her with the money to rent a stall in the local market, where she currently sells clothing. Her most recent loan has allowed her to purchase higher quality clothing to sell in her stall.

Through the micro-credit loan process, Doña Blanca has been able to improve her living situation. The money she received has helped her expand her businesses and build safe and comfortable housing. Furthermore, the loans have allowed her to become financially independent. This fact, combined with the increased self-esteem she has developed through her relationship with the other borrowers, has allowed Doña Blanca to build up the confidence to kick her husband out of their house. While this was very difficult for her, Doña Blanca knows it was the right thing to do for both her children and herself. This story is so moving because it not only demonstrates how microcredit loans help move women out of poverty, but also how they help women develop independence and a sense of self worth.

In closing, I would like to thank you once again for donating to NamasteDirect. I hope the insight into the lives of the loan recipients that I have shared with you has provided you with an understanding of the tremendous need these women face and the enormous impact your donations are making on their lives.

Thank you,

Caitlin Mitchell