Meet Dalia, she's one of PHPG's loan recipients in Matagalpa. This month she received her second loan from PHPG.
Five years ago she started her small store in the city of Matagalpa. At first, she started selling pastries from her home. Dalia had been making cakes and pastries for many years, so this new store was a natural fit for her. She had only one display case for her goods.
In her third year in operations a large stationary store on her street closed down. People kept stopping by her store to ask about the stationary store and where they could get supplies. Dalia saw an opportunity to expand her business. She started selling school supplies and paper goods to fill the void that the large stationary store had left.
Before she had access to credit from PHPG, her sister lent her some money to widen the entrance to her store. Dalia has slowly added more display cases and new merchandise to her store. Now with her second PHPG loan, she plans to buy more merchandise for the coming school year (The school year starts in January, here in Nicaragua). She is also planning to add an awning to her store so that she can move a few of her display cases outside, where they will be more visible to passing clients.
Dalia has two sons. The youngest, Alejandro, is in high school. The oldest, Kevin, is in his very first year of college and is studying Civil Engineering. Dalia works so that she can provide a better future for her sons.
