In the tiny hardworking community of Ucü, Yucatan, the difference between a crisis and a setback isn’t luck, it’s a ledger. For Seydi and her husband Mateo, that ledger changed everything.
Six months ago, Seydi’s family was just getting by. They sold manure for fertilizer. It was enough to survive, but not enough to get ahead.
When Seydi received 15 chicks through the Giving Machines program, it wasn’t just a gift of livestock; it was a launching point. Paired with applicable business training from Mentors International, those chicks became the foundation of a sustainable poultry enterprise.
But the real transformation wasn’t in the coop, it was in the notebook. Seydi’s mentor, Jesus, taught her the “why” behind financial records and the “how” of a disciplined savings account. When Mateo suffered a severe ankle injury shortly after, the story could have ended in debt and despair. Instead, because of their new habits, they had the savings to cover his medical treatment.
Today, Seydi has scaled from those initial 15 chickens to three successive groups of 20. Her monthly income has almost doubled. She is no longer just selling fertilizer; she is an entrepreneur who manages laying hens, sells eggs, and funds her children’s education.
“I have a clearer idea of how to run a business,” Seydi says. In Ucü, clarity is the most valuable commodity of all.
