Wife, Mother, and Businesswoman
Maribel de Leon, age 43, has owned a colmado for over 20 years in Batey Higo Claro. Colmados are small shops that stock groceries and other necessities, and are common throughout the Dominican Republic.  Maribel’s colmado is located inside her home, which allows her neighbors to stop by and purchase items whenever they wish. This set-up is also convenient for Maribel, who has been able to work at home while raising her six children.  When Maribel does have the chance to relax after attending to her business and family responsibilities, she enjoys being social and spending time with her neighbors.

Maribel originally opened her colmado with loan money provided by an individual lender.  In 2009, Maribel decided to join a bank of Esperanza and took out her first micro-loan of $8,000 Dominican pesos, or $186 USD.  As she expanded her business and increased her credit within the institution, Maribel was eventually able to borrow loans up to $40,000 pesos, or $930.  Due to the stability that her business has gained during her time with Esperanza, Maribel is proud to say that she can now offer credit to her clients who are facing financial difficulties.

Plans for Growth
In the future, Maribel hopes to purchase a truck to assist with her business’s transportation needs. Colmados are popular partly because their locations provide neighborhood residents with easy access to daily necessities.  However, in order for Maribel to provide this convenience to her clients, she must first purchase inventory items from commercial locations found in urban areas, such as La Romana and Santo Domingo. Seeing as the transportation process can become costly, having a truck would allow Maribel to reduce her transportation costs in the long run.

Maribel has seen growth in her business and witnessed a positive change in her community through the work of Esperanza. Maribel and the other members of her lending group continue to move forward with their businesses and are working to improve the financial well-being of their families through hard work and wise investment of their microloans.