Maria Antonia Reyes Pasos
- First loan: Dec. 12, 2001
- Current loan: Dec. 23, 2009
- Loans to date: 13
- Type of loan: Commercial
When time came for Maria Antonia Reyes Pasos to start primary school, her father sent her to work in the cotton fields of Nicaragua instead. Rather than studying, she planted and picked cotton until she married. When she moved to town with her husband, she needed a way to support her new family. With one small refrigerator she began selling ice, beans, sugar and oil out of the front room of their house. When she wanted to stock the store for Christmas in 2001 and applied for a C$10,000 loan, her family thought she was taking a huge risk. They under-estimated her. That Christmas she sold out, paid back her loan ahead of time, and had enough profit left over to purchase a small piece of land.
Her store has grown over the years, generating revenue to send all five of her children to university and invest in the land. She now owns 12 acres with a house, a well, a submergible pump for irrigation, cattle, pigs, a tractor, and a pick up truck. Her children are farmers, school teachers, and professionals, and they all come during the week to help her run the store. How did she manage such a successful store? “I’m a numbers woman,” she says, “I check all my costs and earnings carefully, and my family supports me. They all come to help out after their work.” She hopes that her business continues to grow over the next decade so that she can help her seven grandchildren also attend University. Doña Maria Antonia’s work truly demonstrates what a strong family can achieve with a little financial support.