Graciela has struggled to make ends meet as a single mom with four kids.

“It has not been easy, but God has given me the strength and courage to continue ahead, making a little bit of money to survive.”

Graciela would buy produce from local farmers in her community and bring it into the nearby city of Matagalpa to sell it there, but due to lack of resources, she was only able to do this twice a week.

When CEPAD came to her community, Graciela volunteered to be in the Women’s Entrepreneurship Program, where she learned about how to manage money, calculate income and costs, and running your own business. She was able to take out an initial loan of $140 to help her get her business off the ground.

Since then, Graciela has repaid her first loan and has been able to take out two additional loans for $140 and $190. With the new resources being deposited into her business, Graciela is able to work five weekdays, instead of just two. This has allowed her to earn between C200 and C300 ($6 and $8) per day, for a total of C6,000 and C7,000 ($165 and $190) per month. While this may not seem like a lot, more than one third of the rural population lives on less than $2 per day, so this new income has made a HUGE impact on Graciela and her family.

Thank YOU for helping Graciela create generational change and provide for her children. To provide the same opportunities to other vulnerable women in Nicaragua, partner with CEPAD here.