Rosa alejandra

Loan description:

Rosa Alejandra Lanche Vera sells natural health products and remedies as an itinerant trader. She is 44 and married with four children - only the youngest is below the age of 18. Doña Rosa lives in the town of Catamayo with her husband and two of her children. She sells a wide range of items including vitamins, shampoos, herbal remedies and teas. She has been doing this for the last two years and admits initially it was difficult to attract clients even though she received assistance from her sister who used to have the business but handed it over to Rosa. She goes door-to-door and sells the items often on credit and returns regularly thereafter to collect repayments - often small amount on a daily basis, or slightly larger amounts every 15 days or every month. It can be hard work although she enjoys it. Additionally, every Thursday she bakes and sells biscuits, cakes and pies in the town's central square - particularly to stopping provincial buses. She requested a loan in order to buy more stock to sell. When she buys in bulk from the natural medicines and remedy distributors they offer her a discount. Her problem is always the cash flow, because she has to wait for customers to pay (a common occurrence for many retailers in Ecuador). The loan is for eight months.