Peruvian Naturals has donated this quarter’s earnings pledge to cacao farming collective Cocopampa Group in and around the Kimbiri district on the border of the Cusco and Ayacucho departments of Peru.
According to their Kiva profile:
The group Cocopampa is in its 7th loan cycle. It is formed by 11 members and its leader is Mary. They think of themselves as a united village banking. They are hardworking and responsible people who always attend to their meetings on time. They look for the wellbeing of their families and to get ahead in life for them.
This is Rocio, one of the members of the group. She is 32 years old and lives with her husband and 3 children, ages 7, 10 and 13.
She has cultivated cocoa trees and stevia for the past 18 years. In her spare time, she works as a day laborer in other plots cleaning and weeding. She’s requesting this loan to clean, buy manure and hire labor for weeding and preventing plagues in her cocoa plantation.
With the extra earnings she wants to continue saving to improve her house. She wants to apply the finish and give her family a good quality of life. She considers herself a punctual and responsible person, eager to continue improving.
In this group: Elizabeth, Adela, Mariluz, Rocio, Lidia, Vilma, Jorge, Mary Luz, Josue, Fabian, Emerson.
A loan of $4,300 helps a member to invest in her cocoa crops to pay for activities such as cleaning, weeding, and buying manure. All of this with the purpose of offering her clients a better product with a higher quality, and at a fair price.
This loan is special because it empowers women through community support and financial training.
See more about Peruvian Naturals philanthropy at www.kiva.org/lender/peruviannaturals. All loan recipients’ repayments are re-loaned in addition to the 3 percent earnings pledge.