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Carmen is from Mexico. She needs a loan of $425 to purchase materials to make shoes.
Carmen is from Mexico. She needs a loan of $425 to purchase materials to make shoes.
Carmen is from the community of Zitacuaro, which is located in the State of Michoacan. It is very close to the sanctuary of the Monarch butterfly. Carmen is 43 years old, she studied until 6th grade of elementary school because her parents did not have money to pay for her school because they had 16 children.
Carmen makes shoes for women. She will purchase synthetic materials, soles, buckles, boxes, cement and stacks. She has been working making shoes for approximately 20 years. Her siblings taught her how to cut and to ensemble shoes. She sells shoes in communities near her town. She purchases the material in the city of Leon, in the state of Guanajuato and Mexico City. She gets good prices there, which allows her to have more profits.
She is a single mother and has 4 children. Jose Manuel of 14 years old and he works with Carmen making shoes. Adrian - 13, Rosario - 11, and Belen is 8 years old.
Carmen's challenge is that due to the lack of economic resources two of her children do not go to school because she can not afford the school uniforms and supplies.
With a loan from World Vision Carmen will be able to save money for next year's school fees. She will have the resources to send all her children to school. She is very interested in their education.
In the future her aim is to have more customers and to have a store where she can sell the shoes she makes. Carmen will save the extra profits and then invest them in her business in order to provide a better quality life for her children.
Entrepreneurs with specialized skills can apply for a loan in the manufacturing sector. Examples of businesses in the manufacturing sector are making and selling clothes, shoes, machine parts, baskets…the list goes on. These savvy entrepreneurs see the opportunity in their community and, with the help of a loan and their unique talents, can establish their niche. Only 3% of our loans are in the manufacturing sector.
Crecencio Morales is a mountainous community that is home to an indigenous population of approximately 8,000. Elder members of the population still speak the Mazahua indigenous languages and weave traditional clothing.
Residents of Crecencio Morales live in poverty, depending primarily on agriculture, commerce, and the production of artisan goods for income. Most homes are made of wood and have only two rooms with dirt floors. Families cook their meals on wood stoves, as gas and electricity are limited. Few residents have access to toilets or running water; most use outhouses and fetch water from community wells.
In Crecencio Morales, World Vision is providing families with business training; helping farmers increase agricultural production and incomes; attending to the health needs of malnourished children; increasing access to safe water through the installation of water tanks; and providing tutoring and recreational opportunities.
Mrs. Carmen invested her loan into the purchase of shoes for young girls and women. She also purchased components to make and sell shoes, such as buckles, shoe boxes, adhesives, sinthetic fabrics, etc.
She says that sales are good because it's the summer season. She's selling sandals because they go fast and she gets a good price for them.
Mrs. Carmen is a responsible woman and is right on schedule with her loan payments.
One of her accomplishments is the excellent sales that she is experiencing. She has many pending orders and is working hard to meet the deadlines to fully satisfy her customers.
She says, "Thanks to World Vision, my business is growing day by day. Now I can purchase the necessary components to make women shoes”.
Thank you for supporting Mrs. Carmen and World Vision Micro!
Mrs. Carmen says that she has been doing very well, and that her seasonal sales have been excellent. She's making sandals because the weather has been really hot in her community, so her customers are asking for more women's and young girl's sandals.
Thanks to God and to her business' growth, she's been able to buy shoes and other essential goods for her own kids that she couldn't afford before. She has more money now and can pay for it, and that makes her very happy.
Mrs. Carmen has fully paid the loan because she is a responsible person. She wants to build a good credit history in order to ask for another loan later.
She says, "Thank you very much for your support. Thanks to these loans, our businesses have improved.”
Mrs. Carmen wants to keep working hard in her shoe factory, and eventually open up a grocery store.
Mrs. Carmen has repaid her loan in full. These loan funds are now available to help another worthy entrepreneur in her community. Thank you for supporting Mrs. Carmen and World Vision Micro!
