Micro Lending: Story 3

MANUEL ALEJANDRO MEDINA CASTAÑEDA is a single young man who is 24 years old. He lives in T-4 La Victoria neighborhood here in Chimbote with his mother: Mrs. Rosa Castañeda Rubio, a 48-year-old woman, and his two brothers: 28-year-old Miguel Angel Torres Castañeda and 15-year-old Julio Torres Castañeda. Even though his mother helped with money for the expenses of the family yet there always were more expenses to face. So, five years ago Manuel had an idea: To establish a small business in his house. So, at that time he started selling cookies, candies, soda and food for birds. This way he discovered his asset for this kind of business.

As the time went by his business was going well little by little but he wanted his business to grow. He wanted to start selling more articles just as groceries, fruits, toiletries, drinks, toys etc. Unfortunately that was just a dream at the time because the gain obtained, as a result of his sales, was not enough to implement and improve his business as he wanted. He was very motivated on his project but could not find financial support to get his purpose.

One of his neighbors named Mrs. María Elena Sucsa Mendoza, who is a former client of Micro Lending program Support Association for Small Business "Perpetuo Socorro" (a program of non-profit organization CHOI), told him about this micro lending organization and the possibility for him to get one. So, he applied formally for a micro loan which was given to him on March 31, 2009. That was his first micro loan requested.

Manuel used this resource to implement and improve his small business so now he sells not only cookies, candies, soda and food for birds but groceries, fruits, toiletries, drinks, toys, several kinds of ice cream, etc. He is glad because now he is able to help his family and his brother Julio is studying thanks to the support that Manuel gives him. In a near future Manuel is planning to apply for another micro loan to keep improving his business and he wants to thank American benefactors who made possible this Micro Lending program.

Click on the image below or on the link to see more PICTURES.

Micro Lending: Story 2

NOW, I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU the story of how a person, who since his early childhood, had to work to be able to feed himself and his family. He comes from a very poor family and has been working most of his life. His name is Pedro Raúl Ly Delgado. He is 39 years old and presently lives in H-13 Antenor Orrego neighborhood here in Chimbote. He is married and his wife's name is Doris Chávez Alvarado. They both have three children: 14-year-old Leslie Ly Chávez, 10-year-old Pedro Ly Chávez and 8-year-old Noe Ly Chávez. Like all parents he has responsability to provide for his family.

His work story begins when he was around 8 years old. From that age he was working accommodating bricks in severals brickworks until he was 14 years old when he started working as an assistant bricklayer for many years. From 21 to 24 years of age he has been working in large brickworks in Nuevo Chimbote city because he has no opportunity to do so in Chimbote. He got married when was 25 but things were not going the way he wanted, economically speaking. So, he started to work on his own.

From 25 to 35 years of age he made bricks only for people who asked him. He did his best to get some money to be able to fulfill his customers' requests but it was needed to get more money to stay in business otherwise business would close down because of lack of materials (cement, coarse sand, etc.) and tools. In this hard situation he heard by some friends and neighbors about Micro Lending program which provides micro loans to entrepreneurs people needing support to begin or improve their businesses.

So, Mr. Pedro headed to the office of the Micro Lending program (which is a program of the non-profit organization CHOI) to know by himself about requeriments to get a micro loan. On August 16, 2005 he received his first micro loan and this way he could buy his materials, tools and pay his debts. Consequently his business started improving litttle by little and so he could hire an assistant. After a while Mr. Pedro requested another micro loan and he received it on September 24, 2007. His third micro loan was accepted and given to him on September 24, 2008.

He received his fourth micro loan on April 06, 2009. Presently Mr. Pedro has rented a place to his business located in L-1 Antenor Orrego neighborhood and he has four assistans working with him making several kinds of bricks. He is very thankful to the Micro Lending program for micro loans he has received since because of this support he can provide for his family.

Click on the image below or on the link to see more PICTURES.

Micro Lending: Story 1

HER NAME IS CONSUELO OCAS PÉREZ and is 56 years old. Her husband is named Segundo Acuña Alvarado. They both have a 25-year-old son named Geiner Acuña Ocas and a 30-year-old daughter named Miriam Acuña Ocas. They all live at E-19 San Miguel which is one of many poor neighborhoods in Chimbote located near fr. Jack's Parish. Mrs. Consuelo is a housewife and Mr. Segundo works as a seller of typical Peruvian herbs at a small market near his house. Their daughter Miriam is a teacher but she could not get a school to work and their son Geiner is presently studying English language at an Pedagogical Institute.

Even though Mr. Segundo makes his best his income is not enough to meet family expenses and to deal with unexpected situations such as health emergency and others. For this reason, since some time ago, Mrs. Consuelo tried to help his husband generating another income for the family. She had on mind setting a small business at home. But she had a big problem, she had no money to come true her idea. Her daughter Miriam, who had previously worked as a promoter for recycling program (a CHOI's one), let her know that here in Chimbote there is a Micro Lending program (which is another program of CHOI) whose purpose is supporting people to establish their own small business.

So, she went to the office of the Micro Lending program to find out about this issue and after doing corresponding formalities she received her first loan on May 30, 2008. Thanks to this loan she could set her small business at home and this way now she is able to help her family. As a response of gratitude she paid her monthly dues on time. She was a good client of the program so she requested a second micro loan which she received it on November 11, 2009 and she is presently paying her monthly dues.

Click on the image below or on the link to see more PICTURES.

Chimbote Unlimited Opportunities (CHOI)

CHOI: CHIMBOTE OPORTUNIDADES ILIMITADAS (CHIMBOTE UNLIMITED OPPORTUNITIES) is a Peruvian Civil Association existing here in Chimbote-Perú and enjoying itself autonomy and legal representation. CHOI is under the tutelage of the non-profit organization The Father Jack's Friends (Los Amigos). CHOI's purposes are: To stimulate population's interest on the importance of proper management of natural resources and the preservation of an adequate environment; to promote the organization of families from various human settlements (poor neighborhoods) so they can be recipients of financing from public and private entities as much national as foreign for construction or improvement of their houses and neighborhoods in order to improve the quality of living of population more sensitive to the effects of poverty.

Its other porposes are: To manage the feasibility and implementation of projects submitted by young technicians specially by those ex-scholarship holders of "Dollars For Scholarship", one of its educational programs; to promote activities headed to raise self-steem, improve quality of living and to take care of the physical and mental health of population proposing solutions to problems such as juvenile delinquency, gang, drug, prostitution, among other social problems. Presently, the chairman of CHOI is Mr. Orlando Bermúdez García.

CHOI's programs seeks to generate self-sustainability and independence in its beneficiaries. Its scope is limited to approximately 14 poor neighborhoods surrounding father Jack's parish Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro (Our Lady of Perpetual Help) whose priest is father Jack Davis Weed (padre Juan). He is the person who promoted and catalyzed The Father Jack's Friends non-profit and often travels to the United States to raise funds. He writes letters to his American friends with the same purpose.

It should be emphasized that there is another Peruvian Civil Associastion called Civil Association Family Support (Asociación Civil Apoyo Familiar - ACAF) which is also under the tutelage and is a part of The Father Jack's Friends non-profit. It is worth pointing out that ACAF's programs are mostly identified as social service's. On the other side, CHOI was founded and formally established on January 12, 2008. Its first program was the environmentalist one Chimbote Healthy Port and these other ones "Dollars For Scholarships" and "Leaders For Tomorrow."

Here are CHOI's programs and their directors, presently:

1. Pre-University Academy: Ms. Estefanía Moreno Utrilla
2. Chimbote Computer Center: Ms. Silvia Floriano León
3. Micro Lending Program: Mr. Percy segura Rosales (loans given)
4. English Academy: Mr. Luis Villar Reyes
5. Dollars For Scholarships and Leaders For Tomorrow: Mr. Rafael Armas Bardales (recipients, events, new students)
6. University Library: Mr. Carlos Alayo Mecola
7. Recycling program.

CHOI headquarters is located at La Casa de la Juventud (Youth House) whose address is: H-4 Antenor Orrego neighborhood. CHOI's programs are running in this place as well. La Casa de la Juventud belongs to The Provincial Municipality of Santa and was lent to CHOI for it to use and manage it for 5 years. From March 2009 to March 2014.

On the context of keeping establishing new programs in favor of humble communities, a few days ago, specificly on Friday, January 29, 2010 it was opened CHOI's two more programs which were: Computer Center and English Academy. In this openning event were present the mayoress of Chimbote Mrs. Victoria Espinoza, some representatives of The Father Jack's Friends non-profit, the president of Chimbote Rotary Club, some leaders of Antenor Orrego neighborhood, etc.

Click on the image below or on the link to see more PICTURES.

Dividing Into Lots

PREVIOUSLY I HAVE WRITTEN SOME ENTRIES ON LAS AMERICAS SETTLEMENT and how it is little by little arising as a new community here in Nuevo Chimbote, Santa province, Ancash department, Perú. In my last post I have shared with you all that neighbors of Las Américas were asked to leave the land that each of them was occupying until then and to relocate around the perimeter of the settlement. Well, after they did it so, The Urban Planning Office of The Provincial Municipality of Santa appointed architect Mr. César Carbonel for him to divide into lots the land of Las Américas, obviously after many conversations with the mayoress of Provincial Municipality of Santa who was willing to help them in this matter.

So, the thirth week of December 2009 he was leading the staff in charge to divide into lots the human settlement and even its neighbors were very willing to help to do this work. In those days they could delineate the blocks, houses for each family, little park, etc. I talked to Las Américas General Secretary Mr. Roling Arcaya Oviedo and he was very surprised how the Municipality has responded quickly (less than a year) the request to divide into lots the land. Don't forget that Las Américas story starts, as an invasion, on January 31, 2009 and a few days ago they were celebrating its First Anniversary.

Righ after division into lots was finished, all the neighbors (family heads) received a document from Municipality which is called "Certificate of Adjudication of Lot." According to Mr. Roling Arcana they have managed to advance two important steps (division into lots and Certification of Adjudication of Lot) but there is still more to do. The next step is to get another document from Municipality called "Record of Possession." After that they will request to the Municipality the "Ownership title" for each family as well but in this case they will have to pay S/ 2000.00 ($/ 704.00) to get it.

Click on the image below or on the link to see more PICTURES.