Marta told us she decided to face life and fight to get ahead!

Marta is 56 years old and has experienced many joys and many hardships throughout her life. About 20 years ago Marta’s husband abandoned her and their four children. In Marta’s words, this marked her rebirth as she understood the responsibility of providing for her children by herself.

In the beginning, she was very discouraged, tired, and overwhelmed. Although she had previously helped her husband with sowing and harvesting, she did not have complete knowledge of the daily requirements associated with farming, nor the contacts for purchasing their harvests.

Marta told us she decided to face life and fight to get ahead! With her two oldest children, she began by planting and harvesting 2 to 3 hectares of potatoes. They began to get ahead little by little. Because of their high-quality products and their honest business practices they were paid around $13 per quintal of potatoes. At that time, Marta sought the support of Mentors International to increase their planting to 8 hectares of land and to buy sheep to breed and sell.

This is how we started a business relationship and friendship with Marta.

Unfortunately, in mid-2018, the price of potatoes plummeted, a quintal of potatoes sold for no more than $1.92. Everything they had worked for over the years fell apart, leaving them indebted to Mentors International in Guatemala and other vendors.

Marta is an honest and principled person, who always answered our calls and visits. Her debt was renegotiated and she moved forward with dedication and effort. Marta made money by raising and selling her sheep until the selling price of potatoes went up. With the income produced by her harvest and the sale of five sheep, she was able to pay her loan from Mentors International Guatemala in full. She expressed her gratitude for our understanding of her difficulties and for never making her feel irresponsible.

As 2020 brought new difficulties, but Marta knew that Mentors International would be there for her and her family business. Today she again has a small loan with us, which she has used to continue growing her business.

Marta’s dream is of a quiet and peaceful life living next to her children and grandchildren, for they are her greatest wealth on Earth.

Help us Transform Generational Poverty
into Sustainable Self-Reliance

Through our proven programs of personal and business development, each $1 donated creates $5 of economic impact in developing countries where we serve.

Share This Article on your Social:

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Mentors Monthly

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.