Esperanza’s loan officers are the lifeblood of the organization. Every day, they spend hours traveling out into remote communities in order to reach our associates. They get to know them, love them, and support them. They collect money from associates and hold them accountable. Often times, they sit out in the brutal Dominican heat for several hours a day at bank meetings. Needless to say, we couldn’t do what we do without the hard work of our amazing loan officers.

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Meet Alfonso, a loan officer in the La Romana office, who has been working with Esperanza for a year and a half.  It’s only been a short amount of time, but he absolutely loves it. This man works at Esperanza for the right reasons.  When asked what his favorite thing was about the job, he simply responded, “I love that we have trainings and talk about the bible with our associates.” In all of Alfonso’s meetings, he opens the meeting with a prayer, followed by either a Bible reading, a business training, or a mix of the two. Additionally, Alfonso loves the programs that Esperanza does to improve the health of their associates. Already this year, there have been 109 health training courses conducted in La Romana, along with 16 free clinics for cervical cancer exams.

The best part about Alfonso is that he embodies a “man of the people, for the people.” Alfonso was raised in a batey, rural, often extremely poor communities in the sugarcane fields of the DR, not too far from La Romana. Because of this, he knows the area well and even has friends from childhood in some of the bateys that Esperanza works with.  Regardless, he still treats everyone he meets with a heartfelt respect as if they are his neighbor. All that Alfonso does comes from a genuine heart, a heart that wants to care for others. When asked what motivates him each day, Alfonso says that this job is a more than just a job, it is a ministry.  “I love talking to the people.”  To him, it’s all about contact and connections. These connections ring true for the associates, as well. Every time an associate talks about Alfonso they light up. That’s what it is all about.

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A part of his job that not many outsiders get to experience is the office life.  This is where papers are filed, associates payments are tracked, and fun is had.  When asked to speak about the office, Alfonso begins to laugh, “I love this office, I love these people.” Every day brings a new joke, a new smile, and new experiences as a team.  In fact, one of the loan officers, Rosemary Jimenez, makes a 45 minute commute from San Pedro to La Romana every day to continue working with this office. Nothing is off limits, as the employees not only work together, but share their lives together. The La Romana office is more than just co-workers, they are family.

For the future Alfonso would love to work here for some more time, after all he truly enjoys what he does for a living every single day. We love having Alfonso on our team. He’s a go-getter, arrives early to work day-in and day-out, and gives his all to develop relationships with anyone he encounters. Here’s to you Alfonso, we love you.