PHOTO: Theresa Louis, associate from Esperanza La Romana, Dom. Rep.

Theresa speaks softly of her Haitian nationality but loudly of what she's been able to accomplish with the income from her business loan with Esperanza.

Theresa has near doubled her loan amount in the over two years she has been borrowing with Esperanza, currently borrowing $415, investing this in anything she is able to sell in her community: used clothes, home linens, gasoline, homemade sweet potato bread, etc.

With the earnings Theresa has made from her business she has been able to convert her corrugated tin house, into one made of cement block.

PHOTO: Feliciano German.

Feliciano German is the older brother of Esperanza employee Pelagio German (know around the office simply as German). In a motor accident in 2009, Feliciano suffered a broken femur mere inches away from his knee.

Feliciano was admitted to the Dominican’s main trauma hospital in Santo Domingo, Dario Contreras, and fitted with an L shaped iron plate and 8 screws.

Unfortunately, the screws were placed very loosely and shortly after the surgery, Feliciano’s leg began to bow outward– making him unable to walk.

PHOTO: Esperanza loan advisor, Adargisa Garcia Ortiz (right) receiving a loan payment from one of her associates in the province of San Pedro de Macoris.

It’s raining outside. It’s raining inside. Adargisa Garcia Ortiz is huddled under an umbrella, counting money. Counting dreams.

Adargisa is out in the field, supervising a meeting of 15 Dominican women who have taken loans from Esperanza. Rain drips through the holes in the ceiling of the tiny home where the women hold their twice-monthly meetings. It pounds the roof so hard she must shout to be heard.

The women must come, rain or shine, to pay back their loans of 5,000 pesos (about $170) in 12 installments over six months. They bring their small white loan booklets and handfuls of crumpled cash.

Maria sells towels, pillowcases linens, robes, underpants, socks, bowls and personalized stickers out of her home in La Romana. She sells to people in the Paloma HIV/AIDS group.

She has received a loan of $120 and a second loan of $150. With access to this capital and business training provided by her Esperanza loan advisor, Maria now makes $150 -$180 per month.

Maria is married with five children: Darling (11), Jason (10), Abraham (8), Estfani (5), and Emanuel (9). With the money she earns she is able to pay for clothing, housing and food for her family and is able to have her older children attend school. She lives with her husband Andres Rodriguez who works in a hospital.