Knitting for Living

Maria Lucia Potosi Ramirez of San Jose de Chorlavi, Ecuador, is married and the mother of five children. She has spent her lifetime knitting beautiful wool sweaters and selling them in the local market. But the income she earned from selling her handiwork went toward providing daily necessities for her family, which never allowed her to save so she could buy wool in bulk at a lower cost. And, because she had no collateral, she couldn’t access a loan from a traditional lending institution.

When Mrs. Potosi learned about FINCA in 2001, she took out a loan for $200. This allowed her to travel to Otavalo City to purchase more wool at a lower price. Now her family eats better food and her loans have tripled, allowing her to purchase and save more. Mrs. Potosi says she is grateful to FINCA for things that go beyond the tangible.

“I’m so grateful because FINCA trusted me. Now I can improve my life and the life of my family.”