Economic Empowerment for 200 Women in Nicaragua

With the help of loans from Self-Help Nicaragua’s Women’s Empowerment Program, Rosa runs a prosperous tortilla-making business. Rosa starts making tortillas at 5 a.m. that she sells to restaurants in her community of Los Chiles, which is located 25 miles from Self-Help Nicaragua’s headquarters in San Carlos.

Rosa is a 40-year-old single mother of one girl and two boys who are studying at local schools, thanks to the income Rosa earns from her tortilla business.

Rosa learned about Self-Help’s Women’s Empowerment Program from her mother, who took Rosa to a meeting of the other women in the community who also receive training from the Women’s Empowerment Program and its program officer, Aracelly Cruz.

“At the time I was introduced to the Self-Help women’s empowerment progran, I felt frustrated, and was looking for a job as a domestic servant,” Rosa related. “It was at this moment when everything changed for me because ofthe Women's Empowerment program. Self-Help International supports women with training, skills development and with small financing to start a business. When went to the meeting, I listened, learned new things and related to the other women who attended. At that meeting, Aracelly gave a program called Poverty and its Causes, which made me realize that sometimes we are poor because of the way we look at things. I spoke with Aracelly after the meeting and told her I wanted to be part of the group and I committed to participate because I was encouraged to establish my own business.”

Another training session that Rosa attended was Self-esteem and Leadership. “This training helped awaken my sense of not only trusting other people but also trusting myself,” she noted. “Since that training, I have set out every day to change my attitude for the better. Now, I understand that each of the trainings that the Women's Empowerment Program provides serve as therapies and urge us to really take action to improve our lives and the lives of our families.”

Rosa had been thinking about what kind of business would succeed in her community of Los Chiles. “I realized that a good tortilla shop was needed so I made my first request for a loan from Self-Help for 6,000 córdobas ($165 dollars).  I thank God that my loan application was approved almost immediately by Self-Help and with that money I bought five quintals  (500 pounds) of corn,1,000 pieces of firewood, lime, and a metal griddle to cook the tortillas on. I started making the tortillas on my small stove even though it was a little deteriorated.

“At first, not many people were coming to my home to buy my tortillas and so I had to go sell house-to-house,” Rosa continued. “When two members of the Self-Help board of directors visited me in November 2023, they recommended that I sell my tortillas to the restaurants in Los Chiles. After I visited some of the local restaurants and offered to sell them my tortillas, four purchased a small quantity and, a week later, they were ordering a lot more from me. I have since brought my sister into my business and we make more than 400 tortillas a day, which we sell for cash every day. We also sell tortillas for special events. I consider my business to be very productive. Although the work can be quite tiring, we feel good because we no longer have to work for someone else and don’t have to leave our homes. In our free time, we can dedicate ourselves to housework, our children and even our personal care which also is offered by Self-Help as part of its self-improvement training.”

After Rosa paid back her first loan of $165, she applied for a second loan for 15,000 córdobas ($410) so she could buy a gas griddle that doesn’t need wood. “The gas griddle is healthier because it helps us avoid inhaling the wood smoke that was affecting our lungs,” Rosa remarked. “After we made some other improvements in our cooking methods, we can make the tortillas faster because we can do the work together and more efficiently.”

Working with Self-Help’s Women’s Empowerment Program has changed Rosa’s life and the lives of her family members. “I feel fulfilled, although I know that there is much more to learn. I hope that Self-Help continues to support more women who need a boost to start or continue their business, as I did. Thanks to Self-Help, I am an enterprising woman who is successful because I have my own business and I know how to manage it because of all those trainings and the personalized visits that Aracelly makes as the program officer for Self-Help’s Women’s Empowerment Program.

“I have a decent salary without having to be away from my family and my sister also has benefited so she has more income to help her children. I feel very happy to be the woman I have become. I thank Self Help for the training, the technical advice, and the financing it has provided. “What more can I ask for from life?”