Luisa Nunez, 60, is the definition of transformation and a shining example of entrepreneurship. After moving to Santo Domingo when she was young, she lived with her aunt, who was an avid sewer. Lucia quickly fell in love with the idea of being a dressmaker and became her aunt’s apprentice. When she came into adolescence, she fell in love with a man who was a warlock in her town, and they were married soon after. However, Jesus still had a different plan for their lives.

 The change in her life began 18 years ago, when she was finally able to have her first child, a boy, after six miscarriages throughout her many years of marriage. When the little boy turned three, he would always ask Luisa to take him to church because he felt sick. He would say, “Mommy, daddy, I’m sick, take me to Hallelujah”. One day, they decided to take the little boy to church and that very same day Luisa and her husband converted to Christianity. They have been devoted Christians since! Luisa exclaimed, “ [Now] I live for God; He sustains me and because of Him I do not have to be ashamed. I’m so thankful to Him”.

Luisa has been with Esperanza for 10 years in the Bank “Unidos por el Progreso” and has started several businesses since then. She’s still a seamstress and currently focuses most on making products like curtains and bed covers. She also bakes empanadas, yaniqueques (fried dough/ Johnnycake), and Dom

inican desserts like sweet bread. In the picture below, Esperanza loan officer Anderson holds up one of her delicious breads. Luisa has been operating this business for 7 years. Additionally, she recently graduated from one of Esperanza’s many vocational courses, along with 21 other associates. The class focused on tapestry, specifically making purses from everyday household materials.

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She now has a small international business, selling these purses made out of plastic bags in Puerto Rico. While sharing how she achieved this growth, Luisa proudly explained she sent a sample of the purses to her connections Puerto Rico, and promptly received an order for dozens of purses! This is remarkable and extremely uncommon for someone from such a small, remote town in the Dominican Republic. She hopes to continue to expand her customer base in both the DR and Puerto Rico.

When asked about her future dreams for the business, she simply stated, “My dream is that God sustains me by helping me attain the materials necessary [to sew, bake, and make purses]”. Luisa also dreams of a life with better health. She has diabetes and suffers from high blood pressure. Nonchalantly she shared, “I recently had a pre-heart attack, where my blood sugar levels and blood pressure went through the ceiling, but it looks like God wants me to live for a while longer because I’m still here!” Although, Luisa has reason to get tired and discouraged, she continues to have faith and lives knowing God is at the center of her life. Additionally, Luisa’s dream for her family is that her son can further his education.

​​Looking into the future, Luisa hopes to apply for an Esperanza housing loan to finish her new home (pictured left). She shared, “It is my first time borrowing money from any bank, but I know that Esperanza is certainly different than any other bank”.

When asked what she loves most about Esperanza, Luisa replied, “the first thing we do in our meetings is start with the word of the Lord”. Then she quickly added, “I also love that Esperanza makes us save and that Esperanza cares about our health. Esperanza is grateful to have associates like Luisa because our staff is able to teach, support, and most importantly witness the change in the lives of the people we serve. God transformed Luisa’s life, just like He seeks to transform that of ALL His sons and daughters.