At age 60, Blanca works 12 hours a day at her bakery stand in Ciudad El Triunfo in El Salvador.
By 7 a.m., she’s preparing the first batch of warm, fresh-out-of-the-oven bread along with her husband. If needed, she travels more than 20 miles on public transportation to buy supplies in the city, finishes around 7 p.m. and the next day - repeats.
She’s been doing this for more than 19 years!
Her tenacity and undeniably hard-working ethic are fostered by her desire to help her family. While she wasn't able to receive an education as a child due to limited financial resources, she learned to bake at a young age and used her craft to provide for her four children and now a granddaughter.
She’s been successful but has yet to reach her ultimate goals.
While Blanca’s been able to meet her family’s basic needs, she was struggling to satisfy the demands of her customers. She realized something needed to change and decided it was time to work smarter!
As she has done her entire life, Blanca sought an alternative solution. She bought a vehicle to sell the bread.
Her goal is to take the bread to her customers, increase sales, buy more material in an accessible way and provide more for her family.
The car wasn't ready though, it needed maintenance. She heard about Kiva, reached out and was granted a $1,100 Kiva loan powered by 39 lenders, which helped her fix the car.
In part thanks to the Kiva loan, Blanca now has the opportunity to satisfy the demands of her customers. What used to be spent paying for public transportation now provides her profit. Most importantly, she’s able to reach her goals and provide a better living to her children and granddaughter.
A loan is more than a hand up - it helps people accomplish their goals just like it did for Blanca.
Help fund other women like Blanca by clicking here!
