Farming for their Future

Ciriaca Pérez de Izaguirre’s farm is a family affair. She raises hogs and cattle on a small farm outside the village of Namasigüe in southern Honduras, where she has lived for 34 years. Married for 42 years, she and her husband have seven grown children. They all pitch in regularly to help Ciriaca and her husband with the farm.

Ciriaca said, “I have 11 hogs we are fattening for sale now. When my children were living with me, I had 70 hogs and the kids helped me take care of them all. I have five cows that I raise for their milk. Some we consume at home and some we sell. We also use milk to make cheese, which we sell at the market.”

But Ciriaca’s family farm hasn’t always been so bountiful.

Not long ago, an epidemic of swine influenza struck the farm and she lost a number of pigs. As a small, livestock farmer, diseases like the swine flu can be disastrous.  Ciriaca raised her animals from birth and fattened them for sale. She lost the pigs after investing so much money and time in rearing them.

When she was ready to rear more hogs, Ciriaca turned to FINCA. With an agricultural loan of 10,000 lempiras (US$ 416), she was able to buy special feed for the hogs as well as vaccinations to prevent another outbreak of disease among her livestock. And in less than a year, Ciriaca’s farm was bountiful again!

FINCA made me feel good because they trusted me. That’s why I want to be loyal to FINCA and—if God gives me life—to continue as a client of FINCA.