
Brenda lives in the rural town of Tepecoyo. She owns and runs a small piñata making business in the center of town. Brena started the Women’s Empowerment Project in February of 2023 and since then she’s shown a passionate commitment to participating in the activities and has expressed how much she’s eager to learn.

Brenda started her piñata-making business and became an entrepreneur 4 years ago when she left her nursing studies to take care of her then-newborn daughter Camila, who had some health complications. Brenda needed to be available to take care of Camila while also earning an income. Starting her own business would accommodate the flexibility she needed.
The first piñata she made was for her son Brandon’s birthday. After that, her family started ordering piñatas for other parties. That’s when she realized she could earn money from making piñatas. She started selling on social media and since it has become her primary selling channel.

Brenda’s interest in the WEP started in 2022 when she heard some other entrepreneurs talk about “workshops where they were taught how to run their businesses.” She found it interesting because, as she said “It was what she needed in that moment.”
Another thing that motivated her to join was the support of her husband who made the commitment to picking up their children on the days she was going to be in WEP activities. Having a partner’s support is very unique and makes a huge difference for the business’ sustainability.

“I like [the WEP] a lot! I like that it is a space just for women. When I arrived I felt a different kind of support, something I had not felt anywhere else. In the WEP I’ve realized how much I contribute to my family’s economy. When my husband hasn’t earned that much, I take care of paying the electricity bill, buying food, and giving my children what they need for school.
It makes me feel really good to to realize the importance that my income from my piñata business makes toward my family’s well-being.”

A year later, Brenda business has evolved. She has taken advantage of all of the workshops, business counseling and the seed money she won last year in the Project to improve
One of the activities the staff does is visit the entrepreneurs’ houses or businesses after they’ve invested the seed money that was awarded to them. The goal of these visits is to make sure their equipment is working correctly, see how they utilize new/additional materials, and also, to confirm how much the changes have impacted their business.

The staff visited Brenda in her piñata workshop. From that visit, here are a few details to describe how her award of $550 has impacted various areas of her business:
“When I heard for the first time that I was going to have access to seed money I thought that I was finally going to make my dreams come true.
With the $550 awarded to me, I got different tools to make piñatas, fixed the floor, and painted the outside of my store and a glass display. I also bought materials like wire and paper in bulk, which are essentials to make a piñata, and got different party products I now offer my clients to complement their piñata purchase.”

“Thanks to this investment, I’ve reduced the time it takes me to make one piñata. I went from spending one hour and a half making a piñata to thirty minutes. Having the materials at hand ensures me of two things. First, I don’t have to go around getting the materials days before the delivery date, and, second, I save money by buying in bulk, the difference is huge, and it has helped me to build a monthly working capital of $60.
“60 dollars might sound like it’s not a lot of money but, a year ago, all I could invest was between $20 and $30. That amount would not get far because I couldn’t buy in bulk so I had to shop in the stores near my house where everything is more expensive.”

“I deeply appreciate the support the WEP gave to me through the seed money and the trust they have in me. They are not asking for the money back but as they explained at the beginning: we earn it with our active participation in all the activities.”
“ I’ve concluded that the Women’s Empowerment Project is a complete win-win situation for all of us. We “win” experience, we win training, and we win the opportunity to improve our business”
“I still have a lot of dreams. This year I will keep improving my shop. I’ll buy more products to offer my clients so they don’t have to go to other places to have the celebration they want.”
Can you believe all the positive things you are part of when you support Salvadoran women entrepreneurs?! Brenda is now so much closer to achieving her and her family’s goals and all of our supporters are an important piece of that.