Jean’s Take on Tour
A few weeks ago I had the privilege of participating in a mini Adelante Impact Tour. I taught at Espiritu Santo in Tela, Honduras 35 years ago and have volunteered in different capacities on the island of Roatan ever since. This trip I enjoyed a few days of adventure with my dear friend Jacqui to the mainland (a short 1.5 hour ferry from Roatan). We enjoyed exploring the Rio Cangrejal in Pico Bonito National Park, and we concluded the trip with a half day with Adelante in La Ceiba before returning to the island.
After a bumpy 25 minute dirt road taxi ride from the lovely eco resort we stayed at, we then met up with Adelante development staff and local branch manager. We ate lunch at Tipikatracho, a restaurant that serves typical Honduran food. I fished a suspicious gooey structure out of my otherwise delicious soup and Juan happily helped me out and ate it all up. Fully bilingual Evelyn was happy to share some information about the day ahead and answer all any questions. Lunch was relaxed and full of English and Spanish conversions and lots of laughs.
After lunch we followed Gustavo, one of Adelante’s credit officers, on his motorcycle into the depths of La Ceiba. Over the course of two hours we got to visit three interesting clients. One of my favorites was Jessy’s pig and chicken business operating from her backyard. She has been getting loans from Adelante since 2021 to buy livestock and run her business. Jessy breeds the pigs and then sells the piglets and meat from the older ones by the pound. She has 200+ chickens which she buys then fattens and sells to restaurants a month later. There were a dozen piglets and her sow was pregnant. The male kept trying to get out. Space was tight, but all seemed healthy and the chickens had a fan, water, and food.
We met Jessy’s daughter who goes to school in the morning and helps her Mom after school. Her son goes to school in the afternoon and helps in the morning. Jessy is able to buy their uniforms, shoes, notebooks, books, pencils thanks to the profitability of her business. At first, Jessy’s husband didn’t like the idea of her running the enterprise, but soon learned she was better at it than him and could regularly contribute to their family financially. Jessy learned about Adelante’s loan program and applied to receive one in order to grow the business. Under her management over the past two years, she has steadily grown the small farm and is seeing greater profits.
Jessy says she enjoys being an independent woman and being able to provide for her family and children so that they can pursue better lives. With the loans, she is able to buy more chicken and pigs and take good care of them. She buys animal food and medication at the agricultural store and gets the proper vaccinations for the pigs. Jessy also has a person from the agricultural store come to her home to make sure that the pigs don’t have any problems.
The other clients we visited were also strong, proud and capable. All in all, the day made me smile. Women succeeding in a country where being self-sustaining is not easy was super inspiring. Adelante keeps track of their clients and gives them the tools to succeed. The loans are small, the women are mighty, and the loan rates are low! I saw success happening on many different levels and will be for sure supporting this organization into the future. — Jean Lee
