This group is called “Pensamientos” (“Thoughts”), and it is made up of 17 women who are working hard every day to get ahead and provide a better future for their families. They are located in the Chalco Valley, in the State of México. The members of the group are: Lourdes Paz Ponce (cosmetics sales by catalog), Mirna Socorro González Campos (cosmetics sales by catalog), María del Socorro Reina Santos (auto parts sales), Reyna Santiago Cruz (machine embroidery), Norma Zenón Montoya (fruit and vegetable sales), Maricela Campos Ramírez (music sales), Paulina Ramírez González (shoe sales by catalog), María Elena Dámaso Jiménez (cosmetics sales by catalog), María Daniel Cielo (flower sales), Raquel Ortega Santiago (beauty shop), María de Lourdes Ortega Santiago (desserts), María del Roció Cenon Montoya (fruit and vegetable sales), Concepción González Campos (shoe sales by catalog), Rose lía García Cuandon (music sales), María Esther Pérez Herrera (shoe sales by catalog), Rosa María Martha Vara Jardon (construction materials), and Sara Zenón Montoya (lingerie sales by catalog).

Reyna Santiago is a single mother with three children, who are already grown and married. She used to work as a cleaning lady, but when she began suffering from osteoporosis, she had to leave her job, since the condition affected her legs. She decided to dedicate herself to another kind of work, so 15 years ago, she began making hand-knitted garments such as blouses, jackets, scarves, sweaters, baby clothes, etc. At the beginning, it was hard for her, but with time and continuous practice, it became easier. At present, she buys magazines to make more modern clothing designs and satisfy her customers’ needs. She will use the funds from the loan she is requesting to buy yarn, hook closures, buttons, zippers, etc. Whenever she goes out, Reyna takes a sample garment and also carries supplies to keep working during the journey. She offers her merchandise to her family members and neighbors. She makes the most sales for special days such as birthdays, and during the cold months. With her earnings, she wants to support her daughter with her therapy so that she will be able to walk again, since her daughter also has osteoporosis which is advancing very rapidly. In the future, Reyna plans to open her own store and put her blouses and jackets on display, so that people will get to know her work and she will increase her sales.

Reyna and the other members are grateful for the support provided to them by Kiva through the Realidad Foundation, which will help them achieve their goals.

About Group Loans

In a group loan, each member of the group receives an individual loan but is part of a group of individuals bound by a group guarantee. Under this arrangement, each member of the group supports one another and is responsible for paying back the loans of their fellow group members if someone is delinquent or defaults. Learn More

Translated from Spanish by Patricia Linderman, Kiva Volunteer

Ellas son “Pensamientos” un grupo conformado por 17 mujeres las cuales luchan diariamente por salir adelante y darle un mejor futuro a sus familias. Ellos se ubican en la comunidad de Valle de Chalco en el Estado de México. Los integrantes del grupo son: Lourdes Paz Ponce (Venta de Cosméticos por Catalogo), Mirna Socorro González Campos (Venta de Cosméticos por Catalogo), María del Socorro Reina Santos (Refaccionaria), Reyna Santiago Cruz (Industria Bordadora), Norma Zenón Montoya (Venta de Frutas y Legumbres), Maricela Campos Ramírez (Venta de Música), Paulina Ramírez González (Venta de Zapatos por Catalogo), María Elena Dámaso Jiménez (Venta de Cosméticos por Catalogo), María Daniel Cielo (Florería), Raquel Ortega Santiago (Estética) María de Lourdes Ortega Santiago (Venta de Postres), María del Roció Cenon Montoya (Venta de Frutas y Legumbres), Concepción González Campos (Venta de Zapatos por Catalogo), Roselía García Cuandon (Venta de Música), María Esther Pérez Herrera (Venta de Zapatos por Catalogo), Rosa María Martha Vara Jardon (Materiales para Construcción) y Sara Zenón Montoya (Venta de Ropa Interior por Catalogo)

Reyna Santiago Cruz, es madre soltera y tiene tres hijos los cuales ya son casados. Ella trabajaba de afanadora pero cuando enfermo de osteoporosis tuvo que dejar su trabajo ya que esta enfermedad afecto sus piernas así que decidió dedicarse a otro tipo de actividad. Hace 15 años comenzó con la elaboración de prendas tejidas a mano como: blusas, chalecos, bufandas, suéteres, chambritas, etc. Al principio fue difícil para ella pero con el tiempo y la práctica continua se le ha hecho más fácil, actualmente compra revistas para hacer prendas más modernas y satisfacer las necesidades de su clientela. El crédito solicitado lo va a utilizar para la compra de hilos, ganchos, botones, cierres, etc. Reyna siempre que sale lleva consigo una prenda de muestra y aparte lleva material para ir haciendo durante el camino, su mercancía la ofrece con sus vecinos y familiares. Sus épocas de mayor venta son en las fechas especiales como cumpleaños y en épocas de frio. Con las ganancias desea apoyar a su hija que también tiene osteoporosis, a su hija le avanzó más rápido que a Reyna y desea apoyar a su hija con las terapias para que pueda volver a caminar. Los planes de Reyna son poder poner un local propio y así tener sus blusas y chalecos en exhibición para que la gente conozca el trabajo que hace y tener mayor venta.

Ella junto con las demás integrantes agradece el apoyo que les brinda Kiva a través de Fundación Realidad para lograr sus metas.

This month, I have chosen a pair of ladies who have put several loans to good use: Michelle Amomonpon and Rovie Christie Gonzales. Here’s their story:

Michelle Amomonpon, 26, is from the village of Western Poblacion. She is the group leader of a 2-member group loan offered by PMPC. While each member of a group receives an individual loan, they are all collectively responsible for paying back the loans of their fellow group members if someone is delinquent or defaults.

Michelle is married and has two small children. To make a living, she runs a store selling dried goods. Michelle is just starting this business.

In 2005, Michelle joined PMPC to gain access to financial services to help improve her living situation and ability to engage in business activities. She has successfully repaid a previous loan of 15,000 PHP from PMPC. Michelle is requesting a new loan of 15000 PHP which will be used to purchase additional inventory and for working capital. This loan will be the sixth loan taken out by Michelle from PMPC. She plans to use the additional revenue generated from the business to improve the general living conditions of her family.

Follow their progress here: http://www.kiva.org/lend/191777

If, while at the Kiva site, you see a woman who you think shoud receive our support please send me the link. She may be our next feature.

Dear Andrea Robinson,

The members of The Women’s Bank of Entrepreneurs of Chilamate Group have
invested their loan in various productive activities including the
purchase of hens, animal feed, clothing, jewellery and ingredients for
food preparation.

Yorleny has invested in her egg selling business by purchasing hens and
nutritional animal feed. She says her business is going well. The health
of the animals is good, Yorleny hasn´t had any major setbacks with
respect to her new hens.

Socorro says her sales business is going well and is making lots of
sales. She has used her loan to purchase jewellery and clothing to sell
in the community.

Vera says her business is still in the early stages, but everything is
going well. She has used her loan to invest in foods necessary to the
preparation of her various products (tacos, hamburgers, ceviche).

Angela has invested in her sewing business by purchasing spools of
thread and material to make clothes with. Her products are selling and
business in general is good. Angela has been able to start saving some
of the money she has earned.

In general, since receiving their loan, the women of this group (and
their families) have benefited from an increase in family income. The
group is consistently working together and collaborating on work
projects. There is a consensus in the group that upon repayment of the
current loan, the members will apply for another.

Thanks for lending to the world’s working poor on Kiva!

Best Wishes, Kiva Staff

Dear Andrea Robinson,

Thank you for supporting an entrepreneur in Togo.

Discussions of Africa seem to inevitably evolve into discussions of
health. Hot button issues such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and infant
mortality suddenly become unavoidable topics of conversation and often
leave us feeling discouraged and overwhelmed. This fact is no less
relevant when it comes to discussions about Togo. This tiny West African
country sandwiched between Ghana, Benin, and Burkina Faso is home to 6
million people. Thankfully, the HIV/AIDS prevalence hovers around a
relatively low 3% of the population, but bacterial and viral infections
including malaria are widespread. The Togolese face a life expectancy of
just under 60 years and the country rates 42nd in the world for high
infant mortality. It is all too easy to feel enveloped in statistics.
Yet an extraordinary amount of work is being done to keep the Togolese
population healthy. Individuals just like you are taking action, helping
others, and using the profits to support their own families. As a Kiva
Fellow working with Women and Associations for Gain both Economic and
Social (WAGES), I had the opportunity to meet some of these inspiring
individuals. The following journal entry will focus on four
extraordinary women, all of whom work as nurses or midwives in the Lomé
area and received Kiva loans from WAGES.

Akou Damali runs a large prenatal and family planning clinic. Born in
Nigeria, Mrs. Damali now works in the Akodésséwa neighbourhood of
Lomé. With the help of her loan officer acting as a translator, we
conducted our interview in a combination of English, French, and Ewe.
When asked how many hours she worked a day, Mrs. Damali laughed and
said, “Twenty-four hours.” In reality, the clinic must always be open to
serve her patients. She used her $1,125 loan to purchase medications,
injections, pills and other products for her clinic. At times, Mrs.
Damali can struggle to deal with sudden declines in her patients’
health. Patients experiencing complications in their pregnancy can fall
ill beyond Mrs. Damali’s care and she is forced to send them to a
hospital. Nevertheless, Mrs. Damali maintains that running a clinic is,
in fact, a very profitable business. As a single mother of three, she is
able to use the profits make ends meet at home and support her own
family.

Edjoè Abiassi works as a midwife and pharmacist in the Hédranawoé
neighbourhood just north of Mrs. Damali’s clinic. Mrs. Abiassi takes
pride in her work. She enjoys helping the sick and finds joy in saving
the lives of mothers and babies. In addition to a personal sense of
satisfaction, the profits from her business help Mrs. Abiassi support
her four children. She used her $650 loan to purchase medications for
her business, and she has used the profits to help cover school fees and
food costs for her children.

Given the difficult nature of her work, Mrs. Abiassi can face extremely
trying situations. Currently, she is facing a mass expiration of stock
and has been forced to either dispose of some of her medications or send
them back to the manufacturer. Like Mrs. Damali, Mrs. Abiassi must
overcome complications in her patients’ pregnancy or during childbirth.
At times, the outcome can be disheartening. As a result, Mrs. Abiassi
plans on building a small clinic in the future. There, she will be able
to better care for her patients and perform deliveries in a clean and
comfortable environment.

Afi Maimounatou Kouloungou and Anoko Lawson run two sister clinics a few
blocks apart in the Hédzranawoé district of Lomé. Both clinics offer
services such as prenatal care and family planning as well as general
services for the ill. These hardworking women must be available
twenty-four hours each day in order to care for their patients. Although
exhausting, Mrs. Kouloungou maintains that it is worth the work for the
sake of “aider l’humanité,” helping humanity. Both women used their
individual $625 and $975 loans to purchase medications, beds, and other
supplies needed to better serve their patients’ needs.

It can be difficult to operate a clinic, but Mrs. Lawson has seen the
benefits. She divides the profits from her loan in two, using one part
to reinvest in her business and putting the remainder into savings. She
says that her loan has had a huge positive impact on her family. After
the elections, Mrs. Lawson hopes to receive another WAGES loan to
purchase land and build a house. Mrs. Kouloungou’s family has also
benefited from her loan. She says that this loan from WAGES has “changé
la vie.” It has changed her life and everyone in her family is very
happy. In the future, Mrs. Kouloungou would also like to take out
another loan with WAGES in order to purchase land and build a house.

The loan officer with whom I was working commented that this seemed to
be a common long term plan among WAGES’ female entrepreneurs. Mrs.
Lawson laughed and said that women cannot just wait for their husbands
to provide for them. Instead, they must fend for themselves. She stated
wisely that sometimes, “Il faut être maman et papa au meme temps.” You
have to be mother and father at the same time. Evidently, this line of
work has significant challenges. In addition to the difficulties shared
with Mrs. Damali and Mrs. Abiassi, Mrs. Lawson mentioned the hardship of
working such long hours. Mrs. Kouloungou also addressed a specific
situation where patients will require her services, but cannot pay for
her care. This puts her in an extremely difficult position. Despite the
obstacles they face on a daily basis, all four of these women remain
committed to their work and their patients.

All of these dedicated women are thankful for their loans. They ask that
Kiva lenders continue to support WAGES so that they may continue to
benefit from WAGES loans. As an institution, WAGES also does its part to
keep the community healthy. WAGES goes beyond providing financial
services to offer health seminars focusing on HIV/AIDS prevention and
malaria treatment. Mrs. Damali, Mrs. Abiassi, Mrs. Lawson, and Mrs.
Kouloungou strive for this goal independently and are collectively
supported by an institution dedicated to the same cause. As a result,
the extended WAGES community is working to ensure the ongoing health of
their fellow citizens. Empowerment is not possible without health and
these four women are lifting themselves out of poverty by helping others
do the same.

On behalf of these four women, WAGES, and Kiva, I would like to thank
you for ongoing commitment to lending, empowerment, and poverty
alleviation.

Lend to a WAGES entrepreneur here.
Show your support for WAGES by joining the lending team.

Best Wishes,

Taylor Akin

Kiva Fellow

Kiva very much appreciates your responses online. You can read and
respond to this journal online at:

Rafatou Tchedre:

http://www.kiva.org/lend/180511/comment?ent=243408&_te=j