Elena lives on the other side of the majestic Lake Atitlán, in the Department of Sololá, in the western highlands of Guatemala. Her house is located on the outskirts of San Juan La Laguna among coffee plantations, in a very humble but picturesque place. She belongs to the Friendship Bridge trust bank “Guadalupe”. Moreover, she is from the Tzutujil Mayan ethnic group.
Santos Quisquina Churunel, resident of the community Caserio Chuacruz, Sector Cipresales has faced many hardships and overcome significant obstacles in her 48 years of life. She recounts that her father suffered from diabetes, and unfortunately passed away 26 years ago. Santos has five sisters and one brother; she is the fourth born. She was only able to complete one year of formal education; she needed to work, instead in order to help put food on the family's table. Together with her grandmother and other sisters, Santos made and sold all kinds of colorful traditional textiles. She enjoyed learning about the fabrication of these textiles, and this skill would proven invaluable to her over the years.
Magdalena lives in the mayan language Kakchiquel-speaking town of Santa Catarina Palopó, a quaint and picturesque place on the shores of the magnificent Lake Atitlán in the Western Highlands of Guatemala. She has lived there all of her life. Her childhood was very difficult, as her parents could not afford to take care of her. Until she was 13 years old, Magdalena lived with her grandmother, who held the old-fashioned belief that girls did not need to go to school. Instead of attending school, Magdalena learned to weave on a backstrap loom. By age eight, she was a talented weaver! Then, when she was 13 years old, she moved to her parents’ home. Her parents were of the same belief that that did not need an education; thus, Magdalena learned to farm.
Lidia is a strong and brave woman who wakes up every day with optimism and always strives to create opportunities for her two daughters. She is from a rural community called Cipresales in the western highlands of Guatemala and grew up in a family of 11 children (she was the second born). Lidia, who unfortunately had to miss more than a day of school each week to help at home, eventually was forced to drop out of school - this was right after she completed the fourth grade. Her father and older brother worked together selling handicrafts in two other departments in Guatemala. She often worked with them and helped earn income so that the family could have food on the table.
Peña Blanca is a small town in the department of Sololá. Here, majority of the population work as day laborers to earn a living. Candelaria, currently 36, lived there until she was 34. She remembers her childhood in which she was raised with love and care by both her parents and grandparents. She is the fourth born of 11 children (five girls, six boys). Candelaria's father was always attentive to her and her other siblings. Candelaria's mother dedicated herself to the home as well as making the traditional textil blouses called huipiles, while her father worked as a bricklayer. Her parents worked hard so that they could provide for their 11 children.
San Jorge La Laguna is one of the smallest villages in the department of Sololá. This is the home of Antonia, age 55, married, and mother of eight children between the ages of 13 and 35. Antonia shares with us that her childhood was very sad, as her father left her mother when Antonia was just three months old. Antonia's mother was very upset, and that point she made the decision to leave Antonia with her grandmother while she went to live with another man. Antonia's grandparents raised her. They were poor, which meant that they could only send Antonia to school for three years.
Women are drivers of development - locally, nationally, and internationally; today and in the future. They work hard to find ways to support their families in any way they can. However, in order to scale their small businesses, they need financing and training to build the necessary skills. That is what Angelina, a 36-year-old Maya Kakchiquel woman, needed. Angelina lives in a rural community in the department of Sololá.
59-year-old Jacinta lives in Chimaltenango, Guatemala. She joined Friendship Bridge in 2009 and currently has participated in 18 loan cycles. Through her experience with the organization and, specifically, with Handmade by Friendship Bridge (since 2015), Jacinta has become an empowered woman and an even more successful artisan. Jacinta's first loan was Q2,000 (approximately $259), and thanks to her dedication, perseverance, and discipline; her loan size has increased to an eviqualent of about $970 in 2021.
