Hilter Benitez received a loan of £700 about one year ago and has just completed repaying the same. He used the money to buy new tyres and some spare parts for his 4x4 pick-up which he uses as a taxi in and around the town of Catamayo in southern Ecuador. He did not have any problems in meeting his repayments - in fact he has received several loans from the microfinance organisation Fundacion FACES and has an exemplary repayment record, he often repays ahead of time. Separately, his wife is also a borrower - she has a stall selling vegetables in the town market. In recent years their greatest expense has been sending their elder children to university in the larger city of Loja around one hour to the east. Two of his children are about to graduate with degrees in information technology. Don Hilter earns a reasonable income, he charges just $1 as a fare for rides within the town of Catamayo and this can rise up to $5 for longer journeys to outlying rural communities. The furthest he generally travels is Loja for which he charges $15, although occasionally he has requests to make trips to the town of Macara on the border with Peru or the coastal city of Machala which is around four hours drive away and for which he charges $100. Taxis are invariably pick-ups in Catamayo because passengers tend to have goods and also because the roads outside the town are generally not paved. A full tank of diesel for his Chevrolet 2.4 pick up is just $25. On good days he can earn up to $40 but on poor days just $20.