I really enjoy cooking. I especially like trying new recipes that I get off the internet.
Yes, I’m a professional chef. In the morning I wash and cook plantains.
The day before I prepare the beans and let them cool.
I mash the plantains, then form them into little balls. What I’m making is called rellenitos.
I like selling them too.
I like to see the children smile, or sometimes cry, when the parents don’t buy them.
I save money now for my children’s future because someday we might have hard times. I’d like them to have their own business. Not like mine, something bigger.
I was always selling before, but I wasn’t looking over my gains or losses.
This program helped me a lot because I was able to grow my business.
During the pandemic I changed my strategy. I stopped selling rellenitos and sold plantains by the dozen. It went well for me, and I made a lot of income.
My advice is to look for an opportunity, have a strategy and don’t be ashamed.
Start a business and use it to your advantage. I know it’s possible.
Lauren Hendricks, President and CEO of Trickle Up, joins Brooke Dunefsky on the Charity Talks podcast to discuss the transformative impact of the “Graduation Approach” in creating economic opportunities for women in extreme poverty.
Indigenous women who hail from our project areas in Oaxaca and Chiapas, Mexico, support Trickle Up in facilitating projects and connecting with target communities across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. This region is known for having some of the highest levels of poverty in Mexico, and Trickle Up works closely with community leaders to best deliver programs that maximize impact and sustainable solutions.
Indigenous women from Trickle Up’s savings groups in Chiapas discuss how they feel, what they anticipate with saving and building their businesses, and their hopes for the future.
