Bolivia

Sara (L) and Eva (R), of Semillas de Bendicion (Seeds of Blessings), our partner in Bolivia, visit a market in the city of Tarija. Such markets offer low-cost stalls that micro-entrepreneurs can use to launch their small business. For an example, read the story of Filomena, who sells vegetables in Tarija.

Single moms never have it easy – especially those living in impoverished communities like Sucre in central Bolivia.

Alejandrina, a baker and a member of the savings group "Las Benecidas", raised four children in Sucre without much help from her absent husband. When educational options for her oldest daughters suddenly dissolved, she decided to move her family of six south to Tarija.

"My daughters were getting bigger and in the community they couldn't continue with their studies," she told our partner Semillas de Bendicion (Seeds of Blessings). "People told me that in Tarija there were opportunities for women to study and for businesses."

Upon arriving in the city, however, Alejandrina felt lost. She first took a job washing clothes but made barely enough to survive. She certainly didn't have enough to put her oldest daughters back in school.

But then a friend taught her how to bake bread. Alejandrina realized that she could actually make some profit by selling bread in her community.

Today marks the launch of a new weekly photo feature designed to give readers of our blog a glimpse into the communities where our clients set up businesses and provide for their families. Please share "The Weekly Window" with friends and family! It's a great way to introduce them to Five Talents' innovative microfinance programs in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Launching an enterprise -- even a small one -- is often fraught with hiccups and hurdles. Just ask Adriana, a married mother of four whose first micro-enterprise involved selling ice cream and Jell-O. She had no access to a freezer, so she would lose money if she could not sell her products before they turned into mush.

One day, her friend told her that there was demand in the local market for skirts and towels. Adriana, a skilled seamstress, decided to switch her focus. Now, she can't make towels and skirts fast enough – a good problem to have.

Rather than set up shop in one place, she moves around the market in order to create new contact with potential customers. She says this tires her out and forces her to make the products at night, often early into the morning.

Adriana is on her second loan cycle and is currently repaying a loan of $14. She has found support from her savings group – and also, to her surprise, from the local church community.

"It seemed very rare and strange that the church would work with businesses and with families' finances -- I thought this was very personal," she said. "Now I know that God wants to enter into all areas of my life, including my business."

While she is sometimes tempted to skip church in order to make more sales – or to get some much needed rest, she has made it a priority to carve out time for God.

"God is the one who blesses my business, and if I [don't go to church] maybe I can make more money, but I would not be happy. It would be like throwing my money away in vain. Because of this I work, I have enough to pay for my needs, [and enough] also to save for the education of my children."

Before 63 year-old Filomena, of Tarija, Bolivia, took out her first micro-loan, she lived off the profits of selling two crates of tomatoes she purchased from a wholesaler. "The money only allowed us to eat and pay for home expenses," she said.

This meant that her daughters, Carolina, 15, and Alejandra, 18, were not able to get the education they needed, much less new clothing for their growing bodies.

But then Filomena stumbled upon a savings and loan group meeting at her church. She listened in on how the group was building up savings, and eventually she asked to join. She has since taken out three loans from the group, the last being for $14. She has used the extra capital to buy more tomatoes as well as some peppers – decisions that have increased her profit margin.

Even more impressive is the effect Filomena's stewardship has had on her daughters: In earning enough extra money to pay for their education and buy new sets of clothes, she has also inspired them to become entrepreneurs in their own right.

"[My daughters] have learned to work and they are not ashamed to do so," said Filomena. "My older daughter is also a member of a savings group, and she is one of the people who saves the most in the group. She wants to use the money to start a business and help me with bills."