Future Loan Recipient

Yesterday evening I went with Nora and our Multicredit staff to a village bank named Amigas Por Siempre (Friends Forever).  The bank is comprised of six socias who live in the outer limits of the city in the neighborhood of Santa Apolonia. It’s near the top of a hill which makes for a beautiful view but with a very high wind chill factor.  I couldn’t resist taking a photo of little Cristan, who was intrigued by his mother’s village banking booklet. He kept flipping through the pages, looking at the numbers, and the picture on the front. It made me think for a second about the possibilities and opportunities he may have now that his mother, Doraliza, has access to a loan and business assistance classes to help grow her guinea pig breeding business. As a single mother with two little boys working two jobs, it’s an opportunity for Dora to improve her current life situation. Overall, I was extremely impressed by the village bank. The socias had a great sense of humor, participated openly in the biz class discussion, and were very vocal about adhering to their village bank rules. Punctuality and personal responsibility were HIGHLY emphasized--values I think we can all identify with on some level.