The Face of Microfinance in Guatemala
Filed Under: When Guatemala City and the town of Totonicapan both wound up our itinerary, several Guatemalans we spoke to wondered aloud, “Now why exactly are you going there again?”
Usual suspects on the Guatemalan tourist trail these places are not. The primary reason for our visit: cooperation with Kiva, an American organization that raises capital for small loans from online lenders. It then disburses the funds to borrowers in the developing world via its partnerships with local microfinance institutions. Individuals lend small amounts (e.g., $25) over the internet, and collectively they help to impact the lives of many. Innovative, and — as Kiva describes it — “person-to-person.”
Our contribution was to photograph Kiva borrowers (i.e., individuals who had received small loans). Working with volunteer Kiva Fellows, Andrea and Lori, we got to see first-hand the effect of loans distributed through Kiva’s partner microfinance institutions (FAPE and ASDIR in Guatemala City and Totonicapan respectively).
The project took us to villages outside of Totonicapan and a host of areas outside of Guatemala City, including a slum in Villa Nueva. We met a select group of women – and one man – using small loans ($1,000 or less) to build or expand their small businesses. They weaved, sewed, crafted shoes, baked goods, made candles and ran stores. In their homes and workshops, they shared their stories, their lives, and their goals.
While the photo sets linked below don’t offer traditional snapshots of travel in Guatemala, they do provide a glimpse of how people live in small towns and villages. Ultimately, these people hope to support their families, improve their lives, and provide an education for their children.
And after all, isn’t that what we’re all trying to do?
Photo Set: Microfinance Around Guatemala City
Photo Set: Totonicapan and its Environs
Article Series - Microfinance Around the World
- The Face of Microfinance in Guatemala
- Microfinance Panoramas from Guatemala
- Microfinance Diaries: Seeing is Believing in West Bengal
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April 23rd, 2009 at 10:10 am
Beautiful photo set. I was excited to see that you were visiting some of the Kiva loan sites. I thought that perhaps you might have visited one of the businesses that I loaned money to through Kiva.
Juana Azucena Lopez in Villa Nueva.
http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=60075
Then I saw FAPE has 145 loans! The odds weren’t too good on that.
Thank you for the great pictures that help give everybody a more in depth view of whom Kiva is helping.
April 23rd, 2009 at 11:05 am
Very cool – great pics and what a wonderful org!!!
April 24th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
Beautiful pictures — I especially liked the woman tying the skirt.
D.
April 26th, 2009 at 10:54 am
@Jason: No, we didn’t visit Juana in Villa Nueva but we did visit one of her fellow borrowers, Julia Liliana. I imagine the stories are similar. Through a series of small loans Julia has been able to put herself through two years of baking school, begin a baking business, start a sewing business and her next plan is to create a day care center for working moms. Her businesses have started to employ a few local women, too. And, this is all within her home. She was so optimistic and excited about the possibilities for the future. A great visit.
One thing I learned from talking with the Kiva Fellows is that loans usually get funded within days (sometimes in less than 30 minutes!). The simplicity of the Kiva’s system works – they’ve been able to tap into generous lenders like you who want to do something with their money. It’s pretty incredible.
@Bernie: Glad you enjoyed this! We hope to bring you more Kiva-related pictures and stories from the rest of the region.
@Dee Dee: Good eye – she is really expressive, isn’t she? That photo captures her spirit well.
May 7th, 2009 at 11:33 pm
This is great. I just stumbled upon your blog and love it. I just started giving through Kiva and love to see how you’re getting involved it. I’d love to be in your shoes!
May 11th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
@Kevin: Glad you found us and are enjoying our blog. And, congrats on being a new Kiva lender. The transparency and low overhead of Kiva’s system are pretty incredible – it’s been pretty cool to see all sides of the process. We hope to cooperate with Kiva throughout this region, so keep checking back for more updates and photos.
November 14th, 2009 at 5:32 am
Why do “they” need my fiat money? What they have is more real than my illusion (paper money… digits money) ITS AN ILLUSION.
June 4th, 2011 at 4:56 am
[...] get a personal and inside look at socioeconomic issues. Here are a couple of examples: India & GuatemalaWhat advice would you give to people thinking of travelling for an extended period?Don’t try [...]
August 2nd, 2012 at 6:00 pm
I love this. Great photos and a great story. I’ll be looking into how I can get involved with this. It’s amazing how what seems like a tiny contribution to us can completely change someone’s life.
August 6th, 2012 at 3:24 am
@Sky: Definitely give Kiva a look. And in general, Guatemala has a lot of NGOs to choose from if you’d like to get involved. The trick is just doing your research to see what fits with your interest.