There was the year that Domingo refers to as “The failure of his life.” That year, the price of vegetables went down so low that Domingo essentially lost his whole harvest. He began looking for additional jobs, but the whole community was struggling. Domingo was about to sell his land when one of his neighbors told him about Mentors Guatemala, and how they could provide him with a solution in the form of mentoring, business training, and a small loan.
Domingo never had the opportunity to attend school as a child because his family did not have the means to pay for his education. Domingo dedicated himself to agriculture because he could learn with hands-on experience from those around him.
In the rural mountainous region of Guatemala Domingo lives with his wife and eight children, ages eight to twenty-seven. Both Domingo and his wife worked hard and they were able to generate enough money to build an adobe house and start planting vegetables on a small plot of land.
Domingo and his wife were able to use and sell the vegetables they grew to provide food and shelter for their children, but it was a challenge to provide them with an education.
Because Domingo and his family lived so far away from the city, selling vegetables was a difficult occupation. After receiving his training from Mentors Guatemala, Domingo received a loan and purchased two looms for weaving the traditional costumes of his heritage. Gradually his business increased and Domingo was able to purchase two more looms and has been able to hire two employees to keep up with the demand.
Because of the increase in business, Domingo was able to remodel his home and change it from adobe to cement blocks. He has also purchased more land to invest back into farming produce as a side business.
Domingo expresses his gratitude for the help that Mentors International in Guatemala gave him in teaching him and granting him a loan. He sees it as a miracle and truly acknowledges those who donate their money to MentorInternational for people like him. In his own words he expresses, “I know it is not easy to get where we are, but we have learned a lot and above all, we trust that God is going to support us in the journey we have to go. Together with my family, we have worked hard to get ahead, even with difficulties, we are a family that remains united and works for what it wants, and in that, I find my joy.”
