by Marta Julia Ixtuc Cuc
Whole Planet Foundation was founded by Whole Foods Market. They work in 77 countries around the world. The region of the Americas (including North, Central, South America and the Caribbean) has approximately 23 partners. Among these is Friendship Bridge. Every year Whole Planet Foundation recognizes the hard work of the field officers from the organizations they partner with by giving the Field Officer Appreciation Award. In the last 3 years, Friendship Bridge has nominated exceptional Facilitators (loan officers) for this award. This is the third time one of our nominees has won, and it was presented to Gloria Cholotío. The Whole Planet Foundation award committee was impressed by Gloria’s character, the quality of her portfolio, and her passion for delivering Non-Formal Education. As a result, she was recognized as one of the top three facilitators in all of the Americas!
At 41, Gloria is Friendship Bridge’s longest-serving Facilitator. She has been working for the organization for 16 years. Since then, she has built a client portfolio of over 580 women who she meets with monthly to provide education and microcredit. When Gloria first saw the vision and mission of Friendship Bridge, she said: “I was struck by the fact that Friendship Bridge supports women through credit and non-formal education.” Gloria has two daughters and one son so a commitment to women’s education is important to her. All three of her children have pursued education. The oldest is in university for systems engineering, the next oldest is a preschool teacher, and the youngest is still in school.
Gloria with JP Kloninger
During a small award ceremony on July 30th at the Friendship Bridge office in Panajachel, Guatemala, JP Kloninger, the Regional Director of the Americas from Whole Planet Foundation, highlighted different reasons why the committee chose Gloria as one of the winners. Among the many reasons he mentioned were her dedication to educating more than 580 women per month which is not only above the average for facilitators within the organization but also above the average for the entire region of the Americas. JP also highlighted the fact that Gloria’s parents put a lot of value in her education, and that she has passed on that same value to her own family and also her clients. She is a role model for many women.
When Gloria went to receive the award, she felt very excited and shared with the crowd, “Thank you very much for the trust you have in me! I didn’t expect this award after so many years in the organization! But it has been worth it because of the women.” With tears in her eyes, she said, “JP touched my soul when he mentioned my parents because everything I am is because of them. I have seen many colleagues grow up in this organization. I love and admire them. I greatly appreciate Friendship Bridge because of the many lessons I have received. I have had many clients, and I have seen them stand up, fall, and lift up again. Some have died, and for them, I dedicate this award.”
At Friendship Bridge, we feel so honored to have members of our staff, such as Gloria, who align themselves with the vision and social mission of our organization. We are proud of Gloria for her hard work during these 16 years in the organization, and we greatly appreciate the recognition of our staff by our wonderful partner Whole Planet Foundation.
Marta Julia Ixtuc is the Client Communications Coordinator in Guatemala. Based in Sololá, she continues seeking to support the development of Guatemalan women in search of their own ways out of poverty.
