Josefa is a single mother of four children who also takes care of her 81-year-old mother.  They live in a two-room home, made of cement blocks and wooden planks with a tin roof and cement floor.  They have very little: two beds, an Onil stove, a pila (an essential Guatemalan two-sided sink used for water storage, washing dishes and clothes, preparing food, etc.), table and plastic chairs in very poor condition, and two beds.  Clothes, dishes, and other items are kept in plastic baskets or cardboard baskets.    

 

When a sponsor first took on all four children in 2022, Josefa was washing clothes by hand in private homes, earning $28 per week.  From this she had to pay for electricity $65 per month, transportation for the children to school, school photocopies and printouts, food, etc.  The sponsor paid for school sponsorship and also started providing the family with monthly food which gave Josefa the opportunity to purchase some yarn to make huipiles and earn additional income of $8 per day when sales could be made.

 

In 2024, the eldest daughter left school to help her mother with weaving.  They approached the sponsor with the request to use the sponsorship funds for the eldest daughter as capital to expand their weaving business. 

 

After 10 months, the initial capital investment has increased by 21% from profits with 3 weaving projects in process, 5 yarn packages available, and 20 yarn packages on order.  They were able to purchase equipment that was previously rented and therefore not always available or were constructed from improvised material which affected quality and efficiency.  They have hired two women to work with them.  They are managing more of their household expenses including paying for Wi-Fi services much needed by the children for their schoolwork. They are also purchasing a plot of land adjacent to their house which they will enclose with wood to convert to a room for their business.  Both mother and daughter are now earning $18 per day.

 

Josefa has a grade 3 education and a lot of determination.  Her daughter has a grade 8 education and equal determination.  Between them, they have made great strides in just 10 months after being provided the capital to develop their business in a meaningful way.

 

A little help goes a long way to helping a family work towards being self-sustaining.