Recent Interview

Two months ago, I was doing some volunteer work in English for a partner organization of ours, Esperanza International. I traveled to various sites to meet with individuals whose lives have been transformed by received a micro-finance loan, but also have been affected by HIV/AIDS. This project was eye-opening experience for me and I thought I'd share one story out of the many which are similar to this... the names have been changed, but the photo is really of the woman I interviewed.

Maria was born and raised in Pueblo Viejo, and as a young woman she started a business selling charcoal. She would travel to the closest town, 30 minutes away, by horse, to purchase the charcoal and bring it back to her neighbors. Over time, she started and stopped her business and was just recently able to start it again after receiving her loan from Esperanza. With the loan, she was able to expand her business to sell mangoes, gasoline and charcoal and is very pleased with the results of her business.

As a 60-year-old widow with nine children, she is a woman full of joy, determination and tons of energy. She has worked hard her entire life to provide for her family and these days, she is especially working hard.

A couple of years ago, one of her sons, Robert, became very sick and spent many months in bed. Physicians thought it was a parasite, but Maria had the presumption that he had contracted HIV. When she finally took Robert to the hospital, he was down to 80 pounds, and it was decided that he did not have a pasasite or malaria, but that her son had HIV.

Today, Robert’s sickness has turned into full-blown AIDS, and although he can’t lift heavy things anymore, he has taken on a business of furniture upholstery and has a very steady clientele. He was able to begin this business thanks to a micro-finance loan from Esperanza International, so the mother and son do business out of the same home and are doing quite well considering their circumstances.