A RECIPE FOR HOPE

Explore the testimony of María Herrera

Behind the apron, her hair up in a bun in the middle of her head and her tired face by the passing years, María Herrera

Salazar (54) hides an entrepreneur woman. She manages a small restaurant at her home some months ago. She started

with few resources but with too much inventiveness. This formula allows her to forget her problems for a moment and

debts from the past and wish a prosperous future for her and her family.

By Ercik Cateriano

As many provincial women, María left her natal land (the department of Amazonas, in the Peruvian Jungle) being very young to come to Lima looking for better job opportunities. In the capital she worked as a maid for many years until she met Hilario (her current husband) whom she married and had three daughters: Nancy (29), Daysi (25) and Kelly (17).

When their first baby was born, María and Hilario moved to Huaycán, a poor community located on the outskirts of Lima where built a precarious house. By that time, Hilario worked as a carpenter, making wooden doors and other things for local customers. According to María, that time they were lack of financial resources, because the money was not enough to survive.

For that reason Hilario was forced to look for a business more profitable. Then he thought about selling woodworking tools and machines to some sawmills in the provinces where the supply of these tools was reduced. And he did it, he established satisfactorily in the provincial market in a short period of time. He even set up a small workshop in Lima where he himself manufactured machinery according to the necessities of the customer. The business stopped

During that period, María was in charge of sending the tools and machines from Lima: while Hilario monitored the manufacturing process and traveled to the highland in order to collect the money from each sale.

Both applied for bank loans for their business because it was increasing and promised a prosperous future for the family. Suddenly, one day when Hilario was traveling to Huaraz, suffered from a brain hemorrhage. Fortunately it did not kill him, but paralyzed half of his body.

María remembered this epoch with sadness. That cheerful and kind man,

who encouraged her to establish their own business,

became someone who depended on others for bathing, dressing and eating.

Besides their business had bankrupted

and had to pay the bank debts. “I was

depressed because I could not even to go

down him from bed. My daughters

supported me morally. We ran out of

money.

During those years, one of her daughters

had implemented a small cake shop at the

entrance of her house and María helped

her with the basic tasks. María had

negotiated new payment fees with the

Banks so the small amount of money that

she earned was used to pay the bank

debts and cover other expenses. “I helped

my daughter (in her cake shop) and she

gave some money for food”, she adds.

A SECOND OPPORTUNITY

However, in the middle of the tragedy,

there is always Hope. On one

opportunity, when María visited her

church, the Pastor convoked her to

participate in a program implemented by

Agape Association where she would

receive guidance and training for free to

overcome the anxiety situation that she

was suffering. It was the Family Life

Project, known as FLP, which has worked

in Huaycán since 2009.

In her first phase, the project provided

training for María related to self-esteem

and welfare inside home, just as family

relationship and parenting in order to

bring her more confidence. “It helped me

a lot. They made us look beyond (what we

normally see) our eyes. They told us that

we would have will (to succeed) and that

there were other cases more difficult to

overcome”, remembers María.

Subsequently, she received treatment on

finances and workshops related with jobs

as weaving, preparing fruits juice and

nectars, cuisine, among others with the

purpose of starting her own business. In

addition, a trainer of Agape visited María at

her home in order to give her some pieces

of advice and guided her with her business

project. “They taught me that if you look

for, all the opportunities will be found out”.

HOPE IS BEING COOKED

And it happened: María caught her

blender, bought some fruits and put a sign

at the entrance of her house that said

“Fruits juice”. Although she could not

attend with the opened door (her

daughter's business occupied part of her

house), she managed to offer and deliver

the fruits juice that she prepared for other

business of the area, especially for District

attorney's Office which is located in front

of her house.

Her first profits hardly approach S/. 100.00

per month; however María did not give up.

On the contrary, she extended her

business: besides of fruits juice, she started

offering breakfasts and lunches to her

customers (her daughter established her

business in other place so María has more

space in her house). In addition, more pots

and pans, a table, four chairs, and a small

blackboard were added to the business; as

a result, her business became well known

and settled.

Seven months later, things had improved.

María has between 20 and 25 customers

per day and her monthly incomes are S/.

400.00 (about $ 150). Moreover her

husband has shown signs of improvement;

he walks, clean and dresses up by himself.

He also wants to help with the business

despite of his difficulty in speaking and

movement; he helps María selling some

sweet products that his daughter brings

from her cake shop. María's restaurant has

also changed, now it looks decorated and

tidy.

“I am sure that I'm going to success”, says

María with confident and defiant voice.

Her dreams points to finish the first and

second floor of her house in order to

improve her living conditions y her

business. She wants that her small

restaurant grows and be more known in

Huaycán and establishes it on the second

floor. These are dreams that María is

cooking and they will be soon at the oven's

door.

“That cheerful and kind man, who

encouraged her to establish their own

business, became someone who depended

on others for bathing, dressing and

eating”.

“They helped me a lot. They made us

look beyond our eyes”

THE BEGINNING. María sells some snacks at her restaurant.

HER HUSBAND. Hilario feels much better and helps selling some sweet products at the restaurant.

SUPPORT. María received material support from Agape consisting on pots, a table, chairs and a blackboard.