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Maria Carmen is from Mexico. She needs a loan of $1,100 to purchase beans, rice, cooking oil, salt, sugar, tuna, candy, sodas and soaps.
Maria Carmen is from Mexico. She needs a loan of $1,100 to purchase beans, rice, cooking oil, salt, sugar, tuna, candy, sodas and soaps.
Maria, also called Carmen, lives in the community of Tetela, which is located 15 minutes away from Vicente Camalote in the state of Oaxaca. She is 48 years old and was only able to attend school through elementary school. She is a single mother of two girls, Fatima and Victoria. Fatima is 20 years old and studies Industrial Engineering at the University of Tierra Blanca, Veracruz. Victoria is 10 years old and attends the local elementary school.
Carmen owns a grocery store near the highway. She has operated this grocery store for more than 15 years. She sells beans, rice, cooking oil, salt, sugar, tuna, candy, sodas, and soaps. With her loan, Carmen will purchase items like these to sell in her small shop. She started her business because she was a single mother and had to find a way to provide shoes and clothes for her daughters, as well as pay for their schooling. She began by selling items from her house, but with time, Carmen built a small place to sell her products.
Carmen thinks the loan will give her the opportunity she needs to grow her business and increase her clientele base. With an increased number of customers, she hopes to increase her sales and profits. She wants to keep on working to help her two daughters so they can attend school, which will be useful to them so they can support their future families. Carmen is very grateful to World Vision, because they have put their trust in her to give her a loan to improve her life and the lives of her daughters.
Retail is a quick and scalable way to begin earning a profit. Many entrepreneurs begin with stalls at markets or even at home and need a loan to expand or increase their inventory. Others may be ready to open a small store. Goods purchased from loan funds range from clothing, grocery or sundry items to jewelry, candy, perfume or health and beauty supplies. Loans in the commerce sector account for around 33% of our loans.
The community of Vincente Camalote is located in the state of Oaxaca, about two hours from the city of Tierra Blanca. The climate is warm and the landscape is lush and green. Many residents participate in agriculture, primarily harvesting sugar cane. Other economic activities include commerce and fishing.
World Vision is working to improve the health of families in Vincente Camalote by providing housing materials for the improvement of living spaces; restoring water tanks for access to clean water; and supporting medical treatment and HIV- and AIDS-awareness campaigns. We are also supporting education by training teachers and tutors and providing spiritual-formation workshops for teens.
Carmen used her loan to stock her grocery store with rice, beans, sugar, salt, soup, cookies, milk, soap, toothpaste, candies, beverages, cheese and cream. Her business has grown with her increased inventory. She says, "I always have good sales because I run a grocery store, so, customers like my neighbors, either look for rice, or cheese, or sodas for their meals. That's how I make money, little by little."
She is using her profits to reinvest in her store and to make her loan payments. Carmen hopes that her business continues to grow so that she can pay for daughters' education.
Carmen says that, thanks to the loan she received from World Vision, she has been able to grow her business. She used the loan to stock her grocery store, which brought her more profits. This allows her to offer her daughters a better quality of life and to support their studies. In the future, Carmen plans to continue investing in her business so that her daughters finish their education.
Carmen has repaid her loan in full and says, "Thank you so much for your support. It has been a great aid for my business, and for me, personally." These loan funds are now available to help another worthy entrepreneur in her community. Thank you for supporting Carmen and World Vision Micro!
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