For the past 11 years, Juana Francisca has found a way to support her family by selling buñuelos (fritters). She lives in El Bejuco and, along with her sister, travels to different nearby communities offering buñuelos and other sweets to provide for her household.
Juana is the mother of three children: an 18-year-old son, a 16-year-old daughter, and an 11-year-old son. Her path has not been easy. When she started selling, her goal was to help her husband with the family expenses. But over time, financial difficulties increased. Her husband had to stop working due to chronic kidney disease, and selling buñuelos became the main source of income for their family.
Before joining One Manzana, Juana traveled by bus to sell her products, sometimes visiting up to five communities in a single day. In January of this year, she joined the project and, with her first disbursement, made a decision that marked a new beginning: she bought her first motorcycle.
The motorcycle not only allowed her to travel more safely but also to reach more communities and expand her sales opportunities. But the support from One Manzana has meant much more than just financing. Through the workshops, mentoring, and what she has learned in the project, Juana has managed to improve her work methods and increase her sales. Today, she says she has even doubled her sales in a single day.
For Juana, the young people of One Manzana are a “blessing from God.” Thanks to this opportunity, she feels she now has better tools to work and give her children a different future.
And her family is also beginning to look ahead. Her husband has started planting, hoping that they will soon be able to produce and sell their own fruits and vegetables. What began as a way to survive is gradually becoming an opportunity to build a more stable future. Juana’s story shows what can happen when an opportunity comes accompanied by light, learning, and determination: a mother who for years went out to sell to support her family is now finding new ways to grow her business and open more possibilities for her children.
