By Carlo Garcia
Living Philanthropic
My Kiva loan was just re-paid for the 2nd time. Time to re-lend to another great project!
(LL Editor’s note: The following is a description (from the Kiva website) of the recipients of Living Philanthropically’s Kiva loan and for what they used the money. )
The group “La Mesa Centro” is made up of four men and four women, all of whom are hard-working and responsible people. They live in a community called La Mesa center, which is the reason they chose the same name for their group. This community is known for having a Monarch Butterfly sanctuary and is a place where people come from various places as tourists.
Don Rodolfo who is the representative of the group is 51-years-old, married to Señora María Juana, and together they have four children who still depend on them because they go to school. Don Rodolfo has a carpentry shop that is named “El Membrillo” and has been around for 25 years. He started his carpentry shop because in Mexico City he worked as a carpenter and learned many things. That is why he decided to put one in his house and thus be able to spend more time with his family, reduce their cost increase, and be able to pay off their household expenses.
This time he has asked for the loan to buy raw materials like wood, paint brushes, paint, varnish, etc. The biggest challenge that Don Rudolfo faces is that he often does not have the tools he needs to fulfill all the orders that his customers have placed with him. Many times he has not been able to comply with the orders in such a way that his customers do not like the design and they complain that it is very simple because he has not finished it the way they wanted. This is why it is increasingly difficult for him to succeed in his business. In his carpentry shop he makes all kinds of furniture for the home, like cradles, wardrobes, tables, built-in cupboards, small furniture, etc.
He says, “The loan has helped me a lot. Thanks to it I have been able to buy more material although my biggest goal or hope would be to have more up-to-date machinery to satisfy my customers so that they would want to return to order more furniture from me; to be able to improve the quality of life for my children and wife.”
Don Rodolfo and the rest of the group are grateful to FRAC and Kiva since they all will be able to invest in their work. Don Jesús, Pedro, and Juvenal will be able to invest in the maintenance of their taxi; Doña Cecilia will be able to invest in the remodeling of her restaurant; Lorena will invest in the purchase of groceries; Agustina will buy lambs; and Martha will buy calves – all in order to improve the quality of life of each of their families.
