Meet Maria Elena!

Maria Elena Flores lives around the corner from the Center and drops off and picks up her two-year old grandson every day at pre-school, as his mother is working. She also attends parent meetings and activities for Geovani, and is a member of a women’s group that meets on Saturdays and a church group where she volunteers cooking. This year, she made the decision to join the Women’s Empowerment Project to help improve her small business selling traditional foods outside her home on Sundays. 

Maria Elena had some initial worries about her participation as she did not attend school and cannot read or write. Nevertheless, her determination has been more than enough to guide her through the program. In addition to her sales on Sunday, Maria Elena is now also making tamales three days a week and has established two points of sale, one at a factory where employees place their order ahead of time, and another at a local snack shop. 

She hopes to improve her business even more with the help of Programa Velasco seed money at the end of the year. Maria Elena requested a stove top and a blender to help her more efficiently make her products. She currently cooks everything over fire-wood, which she must collect herself. We are proud to support women like Maria Elena, who have shown persistence, drive, and a will to succeed and gain greater independence and a higher quality of life through their work. We hope you have enjoyed meeting her!

 

 

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