Happy 2016 from all of us at Friendship Bridge! We are excited for all that’s in store this year for Friendship Bridge and thankful for all that you helped us accomplish in 2015. With your support, last year we disbursed $14.1 million in small loans to nearly 30,000 clients! Here are a few other exciting achievements from 2015.

• Piloted new Salud para la Vida health program, serving 1,116 clients with preventive health services and providing health education to nearly 2,800 clients. An astounding 69% of eligible clients opted to access health services.
• Opened a new branch office in San Marcos, creating employment opportunities for 9 new staff members and adding 1,152 clients.
• Delivered 189,000 hours of Non-Formal Education, 848 hours of Advanced Education, and 100 hours of mentorship and leadership training.
• Maintained industry-leading loan repayment rate of 98.4%.
• Offered 2,170 CrediEscolar loans to help clients support their children’s education.
• Launched new initiatives for our artisan and agriculture clients – we’ll share more about these initiatives this year!

Our Microcredit Plus program continues to grow as we add Plus services and additional products beyond standard microloans. Clients who access these Plus services and additional products are less vulnerable to poverty, and our survey data shows that the longer a woman is in our Microcredit Plus program, the more likely she is to exit extreme poverty. In fact, 95% of our clients feel their income has increased or stabilized, and feel that their income is providing them a sense of security from life’s uncertainties.

Thank you for being a part of this exciting work. Through our Microcredit Plus program women’s lives are truly being transformed as they are creating better futures for themselves, their families, and their communities.

A special thanks to our Cada Mes Club – Friendship Bridge’s monthly donors – for supporting our clients on their monthly journeys.

Each month the members of every Trust Bank travel, most likely by foot, to their designated meeting places to make payments on their loans and receive a Non-Formal Education lesson in their native languages on one of the four pillars – women, family, business, and health.

October – The Impact of Chronic Illness

Dealing with chronic illness is not something a woman does on her own, despite how much she might want to. Chronic illness has consequences that ripple beyond the affected person. The sick person consumes resources, but can no longer contribute financially. She loses the ability to take care of others, and she feels anxiety and sadness that are shared by those who care about her. To illustrate this concept, one woman was asked to walk a crooked line by herself, and then again with the aid of one, and then another woman, as a demonstration of the need for support when making a tough journey, as illustrated in the photo below. This month’s lesson emphasized the importance of personal health and educated the women on the risk factors that contribute to diabetes and heart disease. Based on these risk factors, each woman was asked to rate her commitment to a healthy lifestyle and to determine changes she might make to improve it.

November – Preventing Breast Cancer

After learning the prior month how chronic illness impacts those you love, November’s lesson focused specifically on breast cancer, a disease often preventable if caught early. Because the first sign of breast cancer produces no symptoms that can be seen or felt, the women received instructions on self-breast-exams and were reminded that self-examination is a form of empowerment that allows a woman to take charge of her own health.

December – A Positive Community Identity

Socialization in our families, schools, communities, and government defines the way we think, feel, and act. Women naturally acquire a different identity than men. December’s lesson encouraged the women to identify the messages they have received in these spaces over the years and to challenge those that are negative. The women spent time reworking the negative messages so that they promote personal development instead. To celebrate Christmas, the lesson ended with the creation of an ornament made of felt.

Dear friends,

Imagine you are with me in Guatemala, in Ana’s house. It is a simple home, and today it is brimming with activity. Ana is busy cooking at her stove with her 6-month old daughter bundled on her back. Her 8th grade son Abner is just getting home from school. If you were here, you would smell hints of garlic and onion wafting through the room as Ana prepares traditional Guatemalan tamales to sell during the busy holiday season ahead. “My stove will be working hard for the end of the year,” Ana says, smiling.

Like you, Ana dreams of a better future – education for her children, growing her business, and perhaps even going back to school herself. She says before she became a Friendship Bridge client those dreams seemed far-fetched, but with your support, she is now achieving them. “Four years ago I had less business, and I wanted to have more goals to improve myself. Friendship Bridge has taught me to be an entrepreneurial woman….They opened the door for me to improve my business. Friendship Bridge gave me confidence.”

Ana and her family’s lives have changed dramatically since her first loan four years ago, and the investment in her clean stove through our CrediSalud program has led to even more positive change. Ana saves significantly on firewood and her family’s health has improved. This allows her to devote more time to her business and her son to dedicate more time to his schoolwork. Remarkably, this stove is making Ana’s dreams more attainable.

I hope reading this story makes you as proud as I am. Stories like Ana’s always make me think about you, because as a supporter of Friendship Bridge, you are empowering women to find their own solutions to poverty – which can be as simple as a new stove! With you on our team, clients like Ana are positioned to learn, grow, and succeed.

Will you make a special gift to Friendship Bridge today and stand in solidarity with these inspiring women? Your gift is critical as we expand to reach all of our 22,000 clients and equip them to become as empowered as Ana. Each gift will provide additional Plus services, like Ana’s stove loan, which have been measurably proven to empower our clients and decrease their vulnerability to poverty. You can read more about our impact and our Plus services in our recently published Impact Report.

Thank you so very much for empowering women to create a better future for themselves, their families, and communities.

Unidos en el empoderamiento de mujeres – United in empowering women,

Karen Larson
President & CEO

P.S. Double your impact! A longtime supporter of Friendship Bridge believes so strongly in the power of our work that he has offered a challenge gift of $30,000 if Friendship Bridge can raise more than $30,000 in new or increased gifts through November 30th. Can you help us unlock this challenge gift by giving today?

Leaders: The highest stage of development on our Client Continuum.  Leaders are women who are not only experiencing empowerment, but are using it to inspire institutional change in their communities. These women have the business skills to innovate and run larger businesses, and may be searching for expanded markets. They dream big and believe that with the right training and financial products, they can achieve their goals. 

At age 40, Lorena is an unstoppable force. As a Friendship Bridge client, Lorena quickly demonstrated leadership and business skills and was elected president of her Trust Bank. Her determination and grit come from a lifetime of fighting the odds stacked against her.

Although her family was poor, Lorena fought to advance to the 9th grade. When her mother became ill, Lorena had to stop attending school and support her family. She married at age 19, but her husband was an alcoholic who avoided taking responsibility for their five children.

Summoning up her courage and determination, Lorena worked several jobs to support her children’s education. She took the advice of a neighbor and started a new business selling sausages. The business was immediately successful and demand for her products increased. Needing to expand her business, Lorena approached Friendship Bridge for a loan. With her loans she began to diversify her products and began to sell sausage, ham, cheese, and refacciones, or snacks. Thanks to her business success, all of her children remain in school. Her oldest is finishing a degree in law and the others are in high school.

Because of her leadership abilities, Lorena was selected to participate in Friendship Bridge’s pilot mentor program, where she learned skills to build her business and have impact in the community. “After the training, I have increased self-confidence and a clearer vision for the future,” Lorena said.

Lorena now has a better understanding of her business margins, how to increase customer service and satisfaction, and how to market to more customers. Lorena also feels more organized after working with the mentor and can better carry out her business plan.

Lorena participates at a high level in her community. When a disease broke out in nearby communities, she was proactive and made arrangements with a Guatemalan congresswoman to have vaccinations given in the communities to cure and prevent the illness. Lorena is committed to being a change-maker in her community and her country. She is dreaming big and achieving her goals.

The middle stage of development on our Client Continuum. Entrepreneurs are often women who are beginning to experience higher levels of social and economic empowerment and are creating a vision for what they want. They tend to invest their earnings into home improvements and are beginning to save so they can better weather economic and health related shocks. As entrepreneurs, they are growing their businesses, engaging the community, and may even have the ability to hire others.

Otilia is a woman driven to overcome any obstacle. Born into a large family, Otilia was abused and neglected by her father, who didn’t allow her to attend school. Otilia was determined to build a better future for herself, so she moved to a more urban area in search of a job and a chance for an education.

Otilia married and had five children, but her husband was financially irresponsible and struggled with alcoholism in the early years of their marriage. In order to provide for her children, Otilia started a business selling snack items. Unfortunately the profits were small. Through the support of her Friendship Bridge Trust Bank, Otilia attended Advanced Education and Technical Training and learned about canning vegetables and making jams. Inspired by what she learned, Otilia developed her own jam recipe, which she called “Canned Margarita.” Her first sales were extremely successful, and nearby shops and bakeries quickly began placing orders.

Following her business success, Otilia hired two employees. She has attended several fairs for entrepreneurs in Guatemala City and has been invited to share her story and her products at a fair in Los Angeles, California. Otilia has received numerous honors and diplomas for her business success. To Otilia, though, the success she is most proud of is being able to send her children to school. Her oldest son is currently pursuing an engineering degree, and her other children are in secondary school.

Otilia reflects often on her achievements and is thankful to Friendship Bridge for enabling her to grow as an entrepreneur. “My clients drive me to progress as a businesswoman. It is very satisfying to me when high profile people buy and enjoy my products. My children are also proud of me, and they are advancing their education. I have learned so much – to be organized with my time, to manage my budget, and to send my children to school. This is all thanks to the training I received from Friendship Bridge.”

Otilia belongs to three community groups and is often invited to share her experiences at meetings. She is also serving as an example to her sister, who has recently exited an abusive relationship. Otilia is always looking for new opportunities and knocking on new doors. She is proud of the success she has achieved, but she is looking to grow even more. Otilia is on her way to becoming a Leader.

Head to our YouTube channel to watch Otilia share her story.

To learn about the first level of development on our Client Continuum, read last week’s blog about Cruz, a Dreamer client.  Next week we will be featuring a client at the highest level of development on our Continuum.

By Nicole Brajevich, 2015 Marketing and Treasury Intern

This year I had the honor and privilege of working with Friendship Bridge as both Marketing and Treasury Intern. I am entering my second and last year as a graduate student at the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies, where I am studying Global Finance, Trade, and Economic Integration with focuses in International Development and International Administration. I am also in the process of receiving a Global Business and Corporate Social Responsibility certificate.

I was introduced to Friendship Bridge in March 2015 through a course at the Korbel School. As part of the curriculum, students acted as consultants to NGOs of their choosing in the Denver community. I chose Friendship Bridge because of my interest in poverty alleviation, women’s empowerment, entrepreneurship, Latin America, and because I wanted to learn more about the microfinance industry. Friendship Bridge was the perfect fit.

My DU consulting group researched peer-to-peer (P2P) crowdfunding for Friendship Bridge. My subsequent internship continued this work by assisting with the crowdfunding campaign that launched September 1st. Within a few short meetings, we had determined a focus for the campaign – Friendship Bridge’s pilot healthcare program Salud para la Vida (Health for Life). I learned a lot about the healthcare program through this campaign and a lot about my own preventative health. The statistics behind the campaign really struck me: “cervical cancer is the second most common cancer affecting women in Guatemala” and “64% of indigenous women reported that they did not wish to have children in the next two years, yet only 10% have access to contraception.”

Nicole standing next to our crowdfunding thermometer — we exceeded the $25,000 goal and raised $30,000.

In addition to helping with the crowdfunding campaign, I uploaded and organized thousands of photos to an online database so Friendship Bridge could easily find appropriate photos for each blog post, annual report, appeal, and social media post. Looking through these photos gave me a better understanding of the work Friendship Bridge does in Guatemala. Many clients looked happy and empowered, some were hard at work, and others were meeting with their Trust Banks. Many lives have been changed through Friendship Bridge and I cannot wait to see how Salud para la Vida will continue to have an impact on the lives of many more clients.

In my role as Treasury Intern, I assisted with several projects. First, I researched the current economic and political environment of Guatemala for the purposes of preparing two items: a “State of Guatemala Report” for the CEO to share with the Board of Directors and an economic indicator monitoring process that will help the Finance Committee better understand currency exchange risks. Second, I utilized the MIX Market financial and social performance database to benchmark Friendship Bridge against 18 other Latin American MFIs. The data will be shared with Friendship Bridge’s Board and utilized in other ways within the organization. And finally, I researched other Latin American Kiva field partners for the purpose of monitoring and potentially improving Friendship Bridge’s performance. Overall, my work has helped Friendship Bridge better understand the environment in which it operates.

I believe Friendship Bridge is a model for what people should think of when the term “microfinance” is mentioned. I saw this at their 25th Anniversary Gala, during which the support and passion of 300 guests illuminated the room. Friendship Bridge does more than just hand out loans; they are improving the lives of many Guatemalan women through various programs, training, and education through their Microcredit Plus program which touches on all sectors of life. It takes a team to get where Friendship Bridge is today and passion, inclusive consulting, and listening to what their clients want is key to their success.

Friendship Bridge is making a difference, and they let me help them make a difference. My internship was not just “busy work,” but work that was used and distributed throughout Friendship Bridge. I learned more than I could have ever imagined and I felt like I made an impact. As I begin a new chapter in my education, I will take with me all the knowledge and success I have learned here. This was a dream internship and I hope to continue making a difference in our world.

A special thanks to our Cada Mes Club – Friendship Bridge’s monthly donors – for supporting our clients on their monthly journeys.

Each month the members of every Trust Bank travel, most likely by foot, to their designated meeting places to make payments on their loans and receive a Non-Formal Education lesson in their native languages on one of the four pillars – women, family, business, and health.

July – Budgeting

A necessity when developing a successful business is creating a budget to manage cash flow. Our clients identified the expenses and incomes of a fictional Guatemalan woman who needs wood for her stove, receives money from her sister in the U.S., sends her son to school with a new notebook, buys bananas for the chocobananos she sells at the market, and picks up a pair of shoes for her daughter. The women then practiced tallying the expenses and incomes in separate columns so they could subtract expenses from revenue. A discussion about which expenses would be considered an investment (an encyclopedia or a trip to the movie) rounded out the meeting.

August – Saving

Piggy-backing the prior month’s lesson on budgeting, in August our clients considered what to do with money left over after expenses are paid. To bolster the idea of being ready for the unexpected, a list of 10 events such as weddings, disease, school, and old age were presented in a big chart. The women were asked to place markers on the events that cannot be expected. Each woman went home with a piggy bank she made from a plastic bottle – cap for a snout, tail glued on, slot cut in the top.

September – Sexual/Reproductive Rights

Ensuring that our clients are aware of their right to autonomous control over all matters relating to sexuality, including health, childbearing, and consent was the goal of this lesson. In an effort to encourage personal care, the women began by assessing the main parts of the female body and commenting on why each is appreciated. For example, “My hands allow me to greet and caress.” Next the women reflected on the various messages they may have received about their sexuality via family, school, and the media. Some messages included: only the woman is responsible for her sexual health, a discussion on sex refers to couples only, family planning is wrong, and a gynecological visit is required only once after the start of menstruation. Lively discussion due to differences of opinion was expected and encouraged.

Here are a few client reactions:

by Dana Bruxvoort de Andres, Jeanne Crump, and Nicole Brajevich

More information about Friendship Bridge’s social performance will be published in October 2015 in their Impact Report.

Today marks the beginning of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the end of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The MDGs have had mixed results – they’ve spurred many successes, but there remains many areas of growth. As the international community reflects on these eight goals and focuses on a new set of (SDGs), Friendship Bridge has also been reflecting – on the ways our work fit into the framework of the MDGs and how we can contribute to the areas of global development that need more growth through the SDGs. Below are the eight MDGs and how our work has supported each.

1.) Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger – The majority of Friendship Bridge clients surveyed have reported their microloan helped them buy more or better food for their family. Clients who access Plus services through our Microcredit Plus program are 4% better off in our poverty index.

2.) Achieve Universal Primary Education – Our CrediEscolar loan provides the funds needed to pay for expenses associated with children’s schooling, thus keeping our clients’ children in school. 26% of clients who accessed this loan had no education themselves, but are now supporting their children’s education.

3.) Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women – Our monthly Non-Formal Education sessions include topics on women’s rights and empowerment. One of our clients said that although women in past generations have been marginalized, “Now I ask for or demand what is mine by my rights and those of my children.” With each loan cycle, clients are 19% more likely to report taking on a leadership role, indicating increased agency.

4.) Reduce Child Mortality – Healthy behavior and family nutrition is a part of our Non-Formal Education curriculum. Our CrediSalud loan helps women purchase clean burning wood stoves, which has proven to reduce children’s health problems related to smoke inhalation and burns.

5.) Improve Maternal Health – A new health services program provides STI screening for pregnant women as well as counseling about and access to family planning methods.

6.) Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases – In 2015 we began piloting a preventative health services program that will give our clients access to testing and follow-up support for HIV/AIDs, cervical cancer, breast cancer, hypertension, and diabetes.

7.) Ensure Environmental Sustainability – We’ve developed a pilot Agriculture Farm to Market Access program to offer more sustainable and efficient production methods to our agriculture clients.

8.) Global Partnership for Development – We partner with local Guatemalan organizations (experts in their fields) to provide services like healthcare, Mentorship, and Advanced Education to our clients.

The MDGs boast remarkable gains – such as halving the number of people living in extreme poverty, drastically reducing child mortality, and halving the number of out-of-school children. But despite these gains, more growth needs to be seen in areas such as gender equality, women’s and children’s health, and access to family planning. These are just a few of the areas that this next set of goals – the Sustainable Development Goals – will focus on. Our work involves many of those areas through the reach of our Microcredit Plus program.

We lend only to women, and we’re advancing gender equality by providing women access to financial services, increasing their agency, and encouraging them to aspire for their futures. Our vision is to see empowered women eliminate poverty. In addition to financial capital, we promote gains of social and human capital through our Microcredit Plus program so women are holistically empowered to create better futures. 90% of our clients report taking on a leadership role in their Trust Banks, families, or communities.

We’re also advancing health and access to family planning through Salud para la Vida, our women’s preventative health program launched in 2015. Salud para la Vida is designed to counter the specific healthcare challenges our rural, indigenous clients in Guatemala face. Through this program our clients receive health education and can access preventative health services such as diabetes and hypertension screenings, breast and cervical exams, Pap smears, and access to family planning methods.

“Leaving no one behind” is the goal for the SDG agenda. As the international community embarks on another 15-year journey toward achieving the 17 SDGs, we’re committed to do our part in making sure no one gets left behind – especially women.

By Robert Weigel, Friendship Bridge Kiva Intern (summer 2015)

My three months in Guatemala have now ended, and this has been one of the best experiences of my life. Panajachel and Guatemala have stolen my heart and turned me into a Chapín. I will gladly jump at any chance to return to the beautiful town on the shores of Lake Atitlan.

I have been challenged in many ways in my role of Friendship Bridge Kiva Intern. Punctuality, conversational Spanish, and myriad responsibilities proved to be daily struggles, but all have improved as my journey progressed.

I have gained useful knowledge in how to traverse through the intricate Guatemalan public transportation system that efficiently combines “chicken” buses, boats, micro-shuttles, beds of pick-up trucks, backs of motorcycles, taxis, and rickety tuk-tuks. I am able to share coveted ‘backpacker knowledge’ about which routes to take where, which ones to avoid, and how much you should pay for them.

But what has left the greatest impact on me is the tenacity and robust directional disposition that is held by the Facilitators of Friendship Bridge. Every time I went into the field, I found myself in unfamiliar territory where I was greeted and guided ably by Tomassa, Esteban, Gloria, and a number of other incredible Facilitators. They guided me in two ways – down byzantine paths to the remote meeting locations and through the incredible Friendship Bridge educational and personal development trainings.

Each route was decisively known by the exact alleys to cut through, the exact doors to open, and the exact houses to meet at. Now this may seem like a ubiquitous skill in the United States, but when your points of reference are as absurd as a cow in a field or a recently hung political sign, it becomes a bit more challenging.

And not only are these amazing people required to know each and every house, they also must have the energy to meet with multiple groups of clients a day and present the specific Non-Formal Education session of that month. Some days last up to twelve hours for the Facilitators. I found myself exhausted after the first four at times!

Keep in mind the only job I had was to photograph and write about the events, while the Facilitators were doing the actual work. The men and women of Friendship Bridge who do this on a daily basis are some of the most inspiring people I have ever met. Never did I come into contact with a Facilitator who was not smiling or did not love what they do.

I made dozens of new friends between the players on local soccer teams to expats to the hundreds of other travelers with whom I crossed paths. This summer has provided a unique chance to grow and become a part of the amazing culture that is Guatemala. I am beyond excited for whoever gets the life-changing opportunity to experience this awesome organization and this magnificent country.

Below are a few of the incredible photos Robert took this summer in Guatemala

Estaban, a Friendship Bridge Facilitator for the San Marcos branch

Sunset over Lake Atitlan