Antonia is the coordinator of her group, Ayudanos Señor (Help us, God), and her story is representative of her group. and of Esperanza’s Haitian and Dominican clients, many of whom recently emigrated from Haiti to the Dominican Republic. Her group is based in areas surrounding La Romana, an area where the economy focuses on sugar cane, where running water is not potable, and electricity is unreliable at best. Here she makes her home with her three dependents and her husband.

Antonia is excited to have successfully repaid her first loan without incident, and Esperanza is excited to extend her another one and see her continue to expand her food business. While she focuses primarily on fried foods and empanadas, with this new loan, she plans to expand into ice cream and sweets. She sees a market for these items and believes the increased profits will help her pay to transport for her children to school and to continue to expand her business. She thanks you all for your support.