Two Friends Share a Story

Fellow Trust Bank members Lesbia Vargas and Anna Torres have a story to tell, but they say it is not about Lesbia and it is not about Anna. It is about both of them.

Both women suffered years of poverty-inflicted pain: hungry children, poor health, and marriages stressed to the breaking point by their relentless poverty. When Lesbia heard about a Trust Bank opening in her neighborhood, she was one of the first to join. “Finally, I saw a way out,” she said.

She used her first loan to open a convenience store in her shanty. With the profit from the store and her next loan, she purchased a table saw for her husband’s floundering boat building and repair business. That tool made such a difference that they have taken out seven loans to build boats. With an $85 loan, they build a boat and sell it for $120. Last year, they were making enough profit to move into a house with a cement floor.

Anna was a fish seller, buying from local fishermen and selling their catch on the street. Her income was steady, but not sufficient. Lesbia urged Anna to join the Trust Bank and buy one of her boats. Anna could catch her own fish and double her earnings.

Anna had a better idea. She bought the boat, but sends her husband and brother out to fish. Anna still sells the fish on the street, but now she makes $30 a day instead of $15. The business supports her family of five plus her brother and mother.

Both women are rising out of poverty. Their families are stronger, their children are going to school, and they are improving their living conditions. They enjoy life now, they said. “It is good to work hard when you see a good profit,” said Anna.