Funded Borrowers

Maria moved to Guayaquil from Cotopaxi in search of a better life. Although it was difficult to leave her family she felt that she could only provide a better future for her kids if she moved away. When she arrived to Guayaquil things were not too much better though. She lives in one of the worst sectors of the city but she is trying to move forward. She runs a smalls shop where she sells snacks and other foods. She wants to invest in her stor...

Blanca started her business with a remittance she received from a family member in Italy. She sells cosmetics and jewelry to the people in her community. She often must sell her products on credit and she collects payments weekly. She will use the loan to buy more merchandise for the upcoming holiday season when sales are higher. This activity helps her provide for her young children who are still going to school. The biggest difficulty she ha...

Elena has only had her ice cream shop open for 8 months. Her mother helped her setting up the store and often works with her. She sells ice cream and popsicles to children from a nearby school. She makes most of the ice cream from scratch. With the loan she will buy molds to make more popsicles. She will also invest in complimentary goods such as candies and snacks. She and her husband have one young child and they all live with Elena’s mother....

Anibal is a tailor who runs a shop out of his home. He makes men’s suits and formal clothing which he sells to the people in his community. He needs a loan in order to increase his production for the upcoming holiday season. He also wants to make investments to his shop that will allow him to sell to retailers. He wants to buy a couple more sewing machines so he can hire a staff. He is 50 years old but does not have a family....

Flor del Rocio has a general store where she sells many different products. Her husband was the main reason she started the business as he provided the inspiration and the start up capital. She started with only $30 worth of products in stock but she has been growing progressively. Her husband also sells the chemical products he makes (mostly for cleaning) at their store. They have had to put railings around their home because there have been sev...

Joaquin has a store where he sells snacks and other foods. He was a butcher for a very long time and had a stand at a local market but he had to move the business to his home when the market was shut down. Joaquin suffered a very unfortunate accident where he lost a leg and since then has not been able to continue working as a butcher. Despite this situation he has persisted and has opened a small store with the support of his family. He has thre...

Wilson Hernandez is a 41-year-old native of Guayaquil who is married and has 3 children. He owns his home and rents a location for his business where he sells, repairs and refurbishes furniture. He sells all types of items, including popular outdoor pieces made with wood perfect for beach conditions. His business is located near his home in a popular business sector. He opens from 8:30 AM to 6:30 PM and counts on the help of one employee and his ...

Oswaldo Chanduy is 33 years old, has three children and owns a restaurant that he opened about a year ago. He is encouraged by the progress and popularity of his venture and is seeking to invest in improvements to the location and to take advantage of buying food in bulk. The restaurant is conveniently located on a main street where he gets plenty of attention and business. He works from 8:00 AM until 10:00 PM....

Leandro Burgos runs a small but efficient manufacturing operation in Guayaquil, Ecuador. He concentrates his efforts on making bed railings and other pieces of bedroom furniture. He supplements his business by selling mattresses and other complementary items. He operates from 8:00 AM to the 6:00 PM and his primary clients are the people from his community who he has served for over 10 years. Leandro needs a loan of $1,200, to buy more iron, wood...

Ernesto sells and fixes kitchen stoves and other household appliances. He learned the family trade from his father over 25 years ago. He started off with a small stand in the fairs of Guayaquil but now has a larger spot in the markets. His son works with him at the location and his wife sells the products door to door. He needs the loan in order to buy new and used merchandise. He feels that he can add new products to his business in order to ...

Rosalba started her first store over ten years ago selling all types of clothing. It was a stable source of income but had to be closed down after five years due to a very unfortunate circumstance. Rosalba’s son was diagnosed with a heart condition that required an operation that cost over $8,000. Rosalba and her husband had to sell their business and their home in order to save their son’s life. She, her husband and her three kids had to mov...

Ingrid has a business where she raises and sells chickens. She started off a couple of months ago when her husband gave her $20 to invest in 60 chicks. With another $20 she had in savings she bought the chicken feed and set up her backyard as the raising grounds. The chickens have already been pre-sold to her clients and they will be ready for delivery in early December. She is looking to take out a second loan in order to invest in 300 more c...