We’re thrilled to welcome the 2016 Esperanza summer interns and 2016-17 Moritz Fellow! We are fortunate to have three impressive young college students and one recent graduate who took the leap of faith to come down and serve with Esperanza in the Dominican Republic. They arrived Sunday night and moved to their various branch offices around the country on Wednesday. On Tuesday, they took a trip to the field and had their first opportunity to see Esperanza’s work in action at the San Pedro de Macorís branch. Despite being weary from traveling, the interns woke up early, full of enthusiasm and eagerness to learn, and visited two different Bank of Esperanza meetings, observing the devotions and collection of loan repayments, and speaking with several associates to further see what we do as an organization.

After the first bank meeting with the bank Dios es Amor (“God is Love”), two Esperanza associates graciously invited the interns to come see their businesses and ask questions. The first (pictured below in the middle) is named Alisia and has owned a “colmado” (small corner stores common throughout the DR) for 10 years. She has been with Esperanza for the last three years, and has seen continued growth in her business. She’s a mother of two — an eight year old boy and an eleven year old girl. Her first loan was approximately $220 US, and she has since increased her loan amount to nearly $400! These loans have helped make her trips to the city to buy products more affordable, given her the ability to purchase more inventory at a time, and even allowed her to buy a refrigerator, which is a key sign of growth for any colmado!
​​

After learning from Alisia, the group then traveled to the business of an associate named Belgica (pictured below, along with the San Pedro branch manager, loan officer and chauffeur). She served as a teacher and administrator for 35 years at a local school, but couldn’t fully retire. Thus, she now owns a “carniceria” (meat shop) to support herself and her family. She’s been with Esperanza since 2012, and is a shining example of a proud entrepreneur. She has mastered the art of selling pork and beef, strategically freezing and preparing the meat early each week so that it is ready to sell by Wednesday, the day which she’s found to be most popular for her clients. She has three kids, one of whom helps her to cut the meat behind the shop. She had another son, but he was killed several years ago in a car accident. When asked how that has affected her, she said, “I am strong now. God is good and we’ve kept going.”
​​
The interns then traveled to a different community and visited a meeting of the Bank of Esperanza Nuevo Renacer (“Born Again”). There, an associate named Altagracia spent nearly an hour with the associates, sharing her story and showing off her business. She has owned a salon for 16 years, and joined Esperanza as one of the first group members of the bank three years ago. Her salon is among the most successful businesses in her community. Her family also owns a beautiful colmado in town, and she recently took out a housing loan from Esperanza to help build an impressive new room in her house (pictured to the left).

Altagracia graciously invited the interns into her business and her home just down the street. A true entrepreneur, she has grown her business significantly over the years. She shared her strategy: “To run a good business you must (1) Work Hard, (2) Be responsible, and (3) Treat your customers well.” To ensure that she provides the best quality service, she occasionally travels to the capital to get her own hair done. That way, she can learn the newest methods and styles in order to use them with her own customers. When asked how many clients she has, she proudly exclaimed, “too many to count!”

She shared more, saying, “I’ve worked hard to get where I am. I learned from my aunt and have worked all my life, since I was 8. I like Esperanza because we put God first. All is possible because of him so I like that we praise him at the beginning of every meeting.”

​Meet the Interns!
Each of the interns and our Moritz Fellow are pictured below. They all shared some brief words about their time in the field on Tuesday. We’re thankful for the bravery and servant’s heart that each of these interns have demonstrated by joining the Esperanza team, and we know that God has big plans for their time in the Dominican Republic!
​​

From left to right:
(1) Karolyn Guzmán, from Santiago, Dominican Republic, is a junior studying Business Administration with a focus on International Development at Point Loma Nazarene University. She will be spending the summer in Hato Mayor.

“Today my eyes were opened to how efficiently Esperanza works. I believe this is due to the fact that Esperanza’s staff actually goes into the community to distribute the loans it provides. I admire that the Banks of Esperanza encourage solidarity.”

(2) Kyle Genovese, from San Jose, California, graduated in May with a degree in Finance from Texas Christian University. He will be working in the Central Esperanza Office in Santo Domingo for a year as the 2016-17 Moritz Fellow.

“My day in the field was an incredibly inspirational experience. It was a true blessing to see first-hand the positive impact Esperanza has made in people’s lives. After observing a bank meeting, we had a chance to interview a couple loan recipients about the businesses they have been able to create with Esperanza’s help. Most notably was a woman from San Pedro who used an Esperanza loan to improve her hair salon. She told us about the numerous clients she now has and how hard work, a passion for learning, and respect for her clients created the success she now enjoys. Additionally, she and her husband took out an Esperanza housing loan and built a beautiful expansion with a state-of-the-art bathroom. Seeing Esperanza’s associates turn micro-loans into Macro-dreams was an experience I will never forget.”

(3) Michael Drake, from Chicago, Illinois, is a junior studying Business at Texas Christian University. He will be spending the summer in La Romana.

“I’m beyond blessed to be an intern for Esperanza this summer. Tuesday was great to see the direct impact that the organization is having in the lives of people like Altagracia. She is such a loving person who is so proud of what she has accomplished through the Lord’s blessings. This summer is going to be incredible, and I can’t wait to hear more stories and learn from these lovely people.”

(4) Claudia Partida, from Falls Point, Virginia, is a junior studying Biology and Health Systems at the University of Richmond. She will be spending the summer in Samaná.

“Spending the day visiting the communities of Esperanza was truly amazing. Altagracia, a memorable associate, shared her story of how Esperanza has helped improve her salon business and build beautiful new rooms for herself and her children. Her happy energy was contagious and the pride she displayed was so gratifying. Seeing all the hard work of associates,
loan officers, and all Esperanza staff has me very excited for the two months ahead!”