Credit Cooperative "20 de Abril" in Quilali

Once again it is nearly midnight. The last few nights we have been up in the mountains of The Segovias, without a good opportunity to gain internet access. I must say that even though we were in town up in the mountains there are internet cafes in town. I just didn't have the chance to go to one because we were in meetings from morning to night. It just wasn't practical to visit one.

At any rate, we had the opportunity to travel to the town of Quilali to visit a Credit Cooperative (Credit Union) called the "20 de Abril" Cooperative. They serve some of the poorest micro enterprise men and women in the country. We were privileged to be able to walk through the town with one of the cooperative's Credit Promoters (loan officer) and meet some of the borrowers of this cooperative. We met with a tailor, a small store owner, a woman who sold coffee and tortillas, and raised pigs to supplement her family's income, and with a married couple who were elementary school teachers. We also traveled up the moutain side a short ways to visit a woman who runs a small bakery. They were happy to tell us how they used very small loans to build their businesses little by little. Many of these borrowers had taken out a number of loans from the cooperative. The Credit Promoter was a young woman who clearly shared a close relationship with the borrowers, as well as with nearly everyone who passed us in the street. This type of lending clearly takes place in a community where everyone knows each other.

This woman owns a small bakery and neighborhood store

This man is the local tailor.

The NICA Fund has an investment in the "20 de Abril" Cooperative, and it was quite inspiring to see how that money has gone right into this village to improve they quality of life for these very small business owners. It is very clear with every visit we make that if The NICA Fund could easily double or triple its investments in Nicaragua, and this money would still have plenty of demand. There is much more demand than there is supply. If you are considering a social investment, this is a fund that can put your money to work quickly and effectively. You can donate to them as well.