Juana Matilde Saquic Ajú was born and raised in the beautiful Santa Lucía Utatlán department of Sololá. Like many Guatemalan women, Juana learned how to embroider huipiles and make handicrafts to support her family at an early age. Her academic career stopped in the 6^th grade, when she began embroidering huipiles with her mother to make ends meet.

After a lifetime of practice, and 11 credit cycles with Friendship Bridge, Juana has acquired a keen eye for what products sell versus which ones are less profitable. Her most lucrative designs are her beautiful huipiles, aprons, and potholders. However, she recently saw an increase in demand for shorts and pants and has started designing new products for her clients.

When Juana started working with Friendship Bridge, her initial loan was Q2,000.00. She currently manages a loan of Q15,000.00! Thanks to her perseverance, hard-work, and with the help of Friendship Bridge, Juana now has a team of four employees, and distributes her products to Totonicapán, San Marcos, Quiche, and Quetzaltenango.