Cristina Noemi

Cristina is 41, single and lives with her family in Imbabura province in the north of Ecuador. She has worked as a shopkeeper for the past thirteen years, running a shop that supplies everyday necessities to people in her neighbourhood. This business has become her main source of income to cover household expenses.

For the past 13 years, Cristina has converted part of her home into a shop where she sells essential items such as tinned produce, flour, toiletries, milk, eggs, bread, rice, and sugar. Her business was one of the first to open in her area, so it is well known. Cristina employs another person part-time in her shop while she works as an administrator at a transport company. This generates additional income to pay her household expenses.

She has requested a loan to strengthen her business so she can offer her customers better service. She plans to renovate her work equipment so she can keep her produce fresh by buying a refrigerator for £486, a freezer for £336, and shelving for storing and displaying her goods, costing £448. Cristina also plans to buy additional stock for her shop such as toiletries, snacks, fizzy drinks, dairy produce, tinned goods, fruits and vegetables. This investment will help her to renovate and restock her business so she can sell a wider variety of goods to her customers.