Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Meet Martha, our new Matagalpa Loan Officer


A little while ago we told you about our Loan Officers who are working in Granada, and about Melo Lopez, who is one of our Loan Officers working in Matagalpa. Now, we have an additional member of the team working with us in Matagalpa.

So, meet Martha Carolina Diaz Meija! We first met Martha as a loan beneficiary, but she quickly showed a facility and attitude that suggested she would be a real asset if she were up for it. Fortunately, she is!
Former Regional Coordinator Eric with Martha
Martha was working as a small business operator selling sweets and other sundries around Matagalpa. The loan she received from PHPG was put to work by allowing her to buy her merchandise in greater quantities upfront, allowing the business to turn in a greater profit. She has two children, who are surely fortunate to have such a hard-working, industrious mother!

As we discussed previously, Melo is PHPG’s Loan Officer for the city of Matagalpa, meaning the clients who live and operate in the urban area itself. Martha, then, is our Loan Officer for those in the department of Matagalpa who live outside the city proper.
Martha will be working with our rural beneficiaries, such as those who live here in San Juanillo
This is an important position, of course: we at PHPG feel it is important that we actually go out to the communities we work with, and Martha is a very capable representative for us in that respect!

Martha, and all of our Nicaraguan staff, are treasured and important members of People Helping People Global. The majority of our Nicaraguan staff were former beneficiaries of our programs. This is something we’re proud of: it means that the people we work with were so happy with the relationship we developed that they wanted to help us continue doing what we’re doing. And naturally, we appreciate that we’re able to help empower these very talented individuals with a job that they can use to support themselves and their families!

It’s beautiful, really. PHPG helps people help themselves with interest-free loans, who then go on to join PHPG to help other people do the same. It’s exactly the kind of virtuous cycle we want to see in the fight against extreme poverty!