Donating to the flood relief in Peru after the coastal El Niño of 2017 helped us realize something, if a bit late. We have gained so much from Peru, and specifically Peruvian agriculture, that we should be giving back every month … not just when disaster strikes.
So Peruvian Naturals has made it a new policy to donate 3 percent of earnings every single month to small businesses in Peru, with a focus on agricultural businesses. We have already made our first donation through Kiva, the world’s leading micro-finance platform.
The brilliant part about Kiva is that the money is repaid, but our company won’t simply pocket the returns. We will reinvest the original loans back into other small businesses, which should create a snowball effect for Peruvian agriculture.
But first things first, the initial loan. We’d like to say we selected Marielita because of her story, her products or her hometown, but the truth is that the amount we were looking to donate would have immediately completed the loan she is seeking. So we decided to make her day. The following comes courtesy of Marielita’s Kiva profile.
Marielita’s story
A loan of $625 helps buy improved breed guinea pigs, sheds, and concentrated feed.
Marielita is 38 years old and has lived in the city of Jaen, Peru for four years. She is the mother of two children who are minors. She has had a chicken, duck and guinea pig farm for two years where she works in coordination with her husband, a bricklayer, to support the household.
Marielita and her husband have brought their family forwards and now their dream is to expand the guinea pig farm and have their own home. This is her first loan from Noandino and she is grateful that they have given her the opportunity to demonstrate that they are a united, responsible family.
By lending to this woman-owned micro-business, you’ll help this entrepreneur and her family stabilize their income and balance year-round cash flow. This borrower’s family is largely dependent on organic production of coffee and cacao, products which are subject to fluctuations in global market prices, extreme weather and pest events.
See more about Marielita at her Kiva profile.