Melida and her daughter-in-law Rixy live in the community of Rincon de Garcia, and they are two of the newest beneficiaries of the Microcredit Loan Program. Since entering the program in December 2021, they have received technical assistance, financial investment, and business training as they take steps toward a better future.
In Melida and Rixy’s house, each day begins at 4:00 AM with the cooking of breakfast and ends around 10:00 PM with the cleaning of the cow corral. In their large family of seven, everyone has a role and helps. The family eagerly shares with one another what they are learning from Amigos Community Advocates in order to improve their way of life.
Melida"The training that we have received has been so helpful. Amigos has taught us about money management and the importance of saving. We are practicing keeping record of how we spend money in order to put it to good use. We are also learning how to make a budget and project for future spending.
Communities are often rich in resources, and learning how to use these resources leads to more time and increased income for families. Melida, Rixy, and their family have always had the desire to improve their circumstances, but they have lacked the expertise to use their resources. Melida’s husband and his son have struggled all their lives, working and farming the land only to produce a poor harvest, resulting in the family having to borrow money with a high interest rate. Amigos Community Advocates have the incredible opportunity to walk alongside families, just like Melida’s, and provide the expertise necessary to use resources well.
We had a really messy life, full of debt and day-long hard work without profit. We were in debt with many different lending organizations, and we hardly ever generated the profit needed to repay the debts. We did not know where the money was going or what we spent the money on, and we definitely did not know how to budget.”
Melida and Rixy enthusiastically share how their lives have been transformed since joining the Microcredit Loan Program. They invested their loan in their cattle business. They first improved the corral’s infrastructure, and now they are focusing on selling milk and cattle at an increased price to gain a higher profit. They explain that the difference now is that the business finally has a structured process. It is complete with goals, assistance, and advice from friendly Community Advocates that help them achieve business success.
“We are grateful to God and Amigos for Christ. We joined the Microcredit Loan Program as a family, and we have greatly benefited. It has transformed our mentality, and we have vision and hope of achieving success in our futures. We are investing and improving our farm little by little, and we are already seeing the fruit of our labor. This gives us hope that in the future, we will achieve much more.”
Even though every family member has a different role and responsibility, this project has given them the opportunity to come together and work toward one common goal:
“We want to improve the futures of our children and generations to come. We are growing together, learning together, and supporting one another along the way.”
Melida and Rixy are taking ownership of the changes they want to make as a family. Just like them, there are thousands of Nicaraguan families waiting for support to transform their lives and invest in a better future.
