Economic Empowerment for 200 Women in Nicaragua

Adriana is a 51-year-old small business owner and single mother of five from the community of Las Azucenas, Nicaragua. Adriana’s high school daughter helps her prepare fresh, natural juices for her business, and her youngest child helps her out around the house. I am very proud to have someone like Adriana in our program. She has outstanding participation, helps her team, and has big dreams for improving her life. She is a very hard-working woman, homemaker, and business owner.

Since 2015, Adriana has been part of various community groups of women participating in Self-Help International's micro-credit program that have changed over time. Since joining the Self-Help micro-credit program, Adriana’s goals and ideas have evolved. First, she wanted an oven to be able to make bread, pastries, cakes, and pizza. Through her own efforts and by working with our program, she managed to build a kitchen that she didn't have before.

With our training program, Adriana learned to save $200 and is operating her own loan plan from her piggy bank. Whatever she takes from her savings, she puts back into her piggy bank with 10% interest. Her savings come from selling her pastries on the bus, at the health center, and at the Ministry of Education.

Adriana’s truly a pioneer, and she’s usually on her feet at the crack of dawn to sell her product. At 9 a.m. you can find her at the park selling her enchiladas, tacos, and natural juices. She is very charismatic and is known as the woman with her apron always on. Participating in the different trainings offered by Self-Help over the years has allowed Adriana to have a vision for her business, save money, and invest little by little in the re-construction and expansion of her kitchen. She’s bought crockery, tables, chairs, tablecloths, kitchen utensils, etc.

Adriana invested her savings in purchasing an improved oven. She changed out her wood stove for a gas stove with an oven, which reduced her exposure to smoke pollution that was harmful to her health. She was also able to construct a bathroom and toilet inside her house. All of these things have helped her get ahead in preparing her fast food menu - tacos, burritos, enchiladas, sandwiches, hamburgers, soft drinks, etc. Adriana’s kitchen is evolving, and the improvements to her home are helping her achieve her dreams

Adriana is one of six women who graduated from the course of micro-entrepreneurs with more than 50 hours of coursework on finances, marketing, and business. She studied every lesson in the manual, which helped her make her own business plan. In Adriana's business plan, we discovered that her dream is to transform her humble home into a restaurant and to offer her delicious dishes to all travelers. That dream will hopefully come true with the help of Self-Help International. She is grateful for all the support that we’ve provided, and she has started construction on her restaurant. She is going to name her restaurant, “Genesis,” after her daughter.