Field of Dreams
To the north of Ecuador is Tufiño parish, known for its mountains, wide green meadows that are used for planting and irrigation ditches, and an extremely cold climate, which hinders agricultural production. Due to the economic difficulties of the agricultural sector, many people have chosen to temporarily or permanently migrate to find work, but Oscar, 35, and Maria, 34, along with their son Mateo, 7, still live in a rural community. Despite the cold weather, they welcome all visitors with a big smile.
Oscar, who only has a primary school education, has dedicated himself to agriculture and livestock, compensating for the economic shortfall with small jobs as a bricklayer. He has the proud support of his family as María, who completed school, is dedicated to work on the land and raise pigs, chickens and guinea pigs, which she later sells when they are grown.
For this family, things have not been easy. Maria says that everything used to be even more difficult: they couldn't take care of Mateo properly, since they could not make enough money and they ate very little as a result, meaning their son's education and health was also at risk. After going through several periods of enormous difficulty, a friend recommended that they join a VisionFund Ecuador credit group, as they could get a loan with lower interest and work with the community to change their situation. After thinking about it for several days, Oscar and Maria decided to leave all their fears aside and they went to VisionFund, where in addition to the credit they asked for, they received training and the necessary information to properly manage a small business.
The first loan they obtained was for just USD$500, with which they bought fungicides for their potatoes, which improved their production and quality. The second loan, for USD $1000, they bought a cow, from which they took advantage of the milk to sell to big supermarkets. Now, having been through six loan cycles, Oscar and Maria are maintaining a loan size of around USD$2700, growing their dairy and potato production. They have managed to buy land where they grow potatoes, and now have three cows and a calf, so they can sell their supplies to processors and markets directly.
“With our loans, we are better because we have invested, and it is enough for our expenses and now we are saving as well,” says Maria. The next step with their seventh loan is to buy equipment for the cooling of milk, so none is lost in the production process.
The family’s goal is to improve their income to support their family to the best of their ability. In the future, Oscar and Maria want to ensure Mateo has better life opportunities, can go to university and become a great professional. Maria in particular wants her little one to not have to do demanding jobs in the field like his parents, and can go out to the city.
The family is grateful to VisionFund, because they have not only supported them with loans, but also, with trainings that have taught them to handle and invest their income. María smiles and says, "We hope VisionFund will continue to support families so they can start and move forward."