We have started our own holiday tradition here at Knowmad, every year we participate in a microlending program to help small business owners in South America. Each December we work with Kiva, an organization that works with micro finance institutions to provide loans to people without access to traditional banking systems.
Last year we made three micro loans in South America through Kiva to Luis Gorge, Carolina del Pikar and Victor. Each of them are small business owners that needed a financial loan to help them move forward with their business and in turn support their family. We are happy to report that their businesses are thriving!
Micro Lending in South America
This year we have decided to continue our microlending in South America tradition and have again made three loans – meet Señor del Los Temblores – Poroy Group, Olga Jacqueline and Julio Miguel.
Julio Miguel lives in his family home with his parents in the province of Jaén, in Cajamarca, Peru. He has excellent personal and professional references from people in the area. The inhabitants of the area work in agriculture, commerce and husbandry. Julio Miguel works in agriculture. He grows rice and has 10 years of experience in this field. He will use his loan to buy fertilizer and to pay for extra day labor to sow the crop when necessary. With this loan he will be able to increase his crop size.
Señor De Los Temblores – Poroy Group These are members of the community bank “Señor De Los Temblores de Poroy” (Lord of the Tremors of Poroy), located in the department of Cusco. A portion of this loan will be used to buy watermelons and bananas.
One of the members, Vilma, is 33 years old and has four children and sells fruit from a wheelbarrow. She arrives at work early everyday and is very dedicated in her desire to get ahead with her children. Vilma requested a loan to buy watermelon and bananas. The other members are engaged in selling vegetables, selling soft drinks, food sales, selling eggs, and candy sales.
Olga Jacqueline lives in the city of Santo Domingo. She has lived in her own house for many years together with her husband and their young son. Her husband is retired and she works preparing food to sell to companies.
Olga is a previous client of the Fundación. She invested her first loan very well. With this new loan she will be able to buy an oven, which she needs for work, and wholesale products such as rice, sugar and oil.
Olga is very grateful to Kiva because the loans have enabled her to strengthen her business, which is her household’s primary source of income. For this reason, she is a loyal member of the institution, as they have helped her when she most needed it.
*Photos and description translations provided by Kiva.
Hasta Pronto, Knowmad Adventurers
Knowmad Adventures works closely with independent-minded travelers creating innovative trips to South America. Our specialists in Patagonia, Chile, Machu Picchu, Peru, Argentina, the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador and Antarctica are eager to collaborate and create a trip as unique and authentic as you are, and our experienced South American operations team guarantees you get an insider’s perspective, superior values, and a flawlessly operated trip.
