We are entrepreneurial women who are capable, and those of us that work will always be capable and able to achieve our dreams.
So says 44-year-old Sonia, whose persistence and energy has helped her build a thriving business where once she only felt shame.
For 23 years, Sonia and her family have lived in a small village outside of Asunción, Paraguay. In 2011, she started selling fruit out of a crate in nearby Luque as a means of supporting her children and her family. She felt embarrassed that she had to pick up this work, and it was slow-going — but she kept at it, even when it felt like her work wasn’t getting her anywhere, thanks to encouragement from her mother-in-law. Says Sonia: "She told me,” 'Don’t be embarrassed, daughter, because this is what will help you get ahead.'"
Living crate to crate
"Before, I had nothing. I didn't have any savings. It was a job: working, working every day, but it was never enough. As they say, enough to eat and nothing else."
Back in 2011, Sonia wasn’t alone in this. Although Paraguay as a country was experiencing a small economic rebound at the time, income disparity and rising food prices kept those who lived in more rural areas mired deep in poverty. In the early 2010s, Paraguay had the third highest poverty rate in Latin America behind Honduras and Nicaragua, with 59% of its rural population in poverty, and 38% of the same group in extreme poverty. Times were tough, but that didn’t keep Sonia down. Wanting a better future for her children, she rode back and forth from nearby Luque on her motorcycle, crate in tow, ready to make the day’s sales.
I decided to start my own business… to provide something better for my children. I don't want them to end up like me, struggling with a crate. I want them to study and achieve something in life.
Even today, Sonia gets up at five in the morning, has her daily matè, and is out the door before the sun is up, heading into Luque for work. Then she picks up her kids from school and heads home to do the housework — laundry, cleaning, and cooking dinner. Then it’s into the shower and off to bed before doing it all over again the next day. In this way, Sonia can support her family and children the way she wants to, without having to lose the income from her work.
As an entrepreneur, Sonia knows the power of her business, and she’s very community-minded and encouraging. It’s no surprise that she wants to give back — after all, it’s thanks to community that earlier this year, Sonia learned about the Fundación Paraguaya and all that they offer.
“The lady from the corner by my house called me one day as I was riding by on my motorcycle, and said, ‘Look, Sonia, do you want to join the Fundación Paraguaya? You're an entrepreneurial woman — you'll earn money every day for your family. You can join them, and it will help you a lot,’” Sonia recalls. After looking into the foundation and talking to her husband, Sonia decided to join. Soon, both her business and her life started to improve.
Better business, better life
For Sonia, working with Fundación Paraguaya was a total game-changer. As a Kiva Lending Partner, Fundación Paraguaya provided Sonia with access to a Kiva loan supported by 31 lenders. Of course, the money itself helped a lot, allowing her to expand her inventory and build her profits. But with the support of the foundation, these earnings also allowed her to start a small savings and make key improvements to her family’s life.
“Before… I went to a normal bank,” Sonia says. “I asked for a loan, and then they asked me for a lot of things that I wouldn't be able to just get quickly, and I’d have to do all this paperwork. So I didn't do it.” But Fundación Paraguaya was different — much easier to work with. The foundation differs from other, more traditional lenders in many ways. For example, they run a groundbreaking “Poverty Stoplight” program, developed specifically to support women living in poverty. A “stoplight” measurement tool is used to help borrowers self-identify the type of poverty that affects them most (lack of income, absence of financial opportunities, poor living conditions etc.). Borrowers like Sonia rate 50 areas of their life as green (not poor), yellow (poor), or red (extremely poor). Together with their loan officer, they come up with a plan to resolve yellow and red indicators. Through this program, Fundación Paraguaya has helped lift over 30,000 Paraguayan women and their families out of poverty.
With the support Sonia got from Fundación Paraguaya and her Kiva loan, Sonia was soon making enough to start tackling some much-needed home improvements, like updating her bathroom and kitchen. She even entered a competition sponsored by Fundación Paraguaya with her new bathroom, which made her feel proud of her hard work and homemaking skills. “For me, as a woman — and since we're warriors, hardworking women — what I wanted most was to have a decent kitchen and a bathroom."
I’m improving everything in my home for my children.
It’s not surprising that Sonia feels a greater sense of pride in her work today. In fact, 86% of the women who receive support from Kiva Lending Partners report an increase in confidence, and 90% of women report improved quality of life after taking on a loan. Sonia’s is yet another example of how community-funded loans like those provided through Kiva can make a huge difference in the lives of women.
Connecting with other “warrior women”
Core among the benefits that Sonia experiences from working with the foundation is her membership in a committee of other entrepreneurial women, who she affectionately refers to as “warrior women.”
I invite warrior women, as the entrepreneurial women that we are, to find a way to get ahead. Through your own work, you are going to get what you want.
Her committee, Virgen de Fátima, Kuña Guapa, is a cooperative — as a group, they make timely loan payments and work with Fundación Paraguaya to achieve their individual goals. Sonia is quick to share word of the foundation, and eager to share the resources that she’s found within her committee with other women she knows.
For many women entrepreneurs, especially those in more rural communities, building a business is a way to garner respect from their communities, increase their sense of agency, and empower them to grow beyond restrictive gender norms. It’s a big part of the reason why 80% of loans funded on Kiva have gone to underbanked women.
I now have something to count on.
Like Sonia and the friend who told her about Fundación Paraguaya, many of these women share this pride in their achievements by sharing access to these resources, which grows their communities and fights gender inequity.
“I always invite my companions. There are many entrepreneurial women who want to get ahead,” she says. “There's a lot of improvement, once you start working and join Fundación Paraguaya. There's a lot of help.”
Big dreams on the horizon
Now that Sonia has used her business profits to renovate her home and improve her family’s life, the rest of her family is impressed by all she’s accomplished. Recently, her sisters came to visit from Argentina, and they were shocked at the progress that Sonia had made.
“They arrived, and they said to me, ‘Wow, look at your house,’” Sonia says. “And they asked me, ‘How did you do all this in such a short time?’ My sister-in-law told me, ‘How great, comadre [my close relative], look at everything you’re achieving. It’s a shame I’m so far away.’” For Sonia, this was a major accomplishment, and one that had sentimental value. “My mother passed away recently,” she says. “I was telling her that everything would go well for me, that I would be healthy.”
Every day I am improving. Things are much better because I have those savings. I am very happy.
Now, things are looking bright for Sonia and her family. She’s hoping to build her business even further, and to move her fruit-selling operation into her home so that she no longer has to travel into Luque with a crate to make her living.
"My family is happy,” she says proudly. “My dad comes and tells me, ‘I'm happy for my daughter,’ and I’m even happier than him!”
