For a long time, Amanda, who lives in the rural community of Santa Ana, worked as a housekeeper in the city of Granada. Between working and traveling to the city, she had very little time to dedicate to her children. Tired of this routine and with a great desire to have time to take better care of her daughters, she was determined to find an alternative way to make a living. She decided to save money to create a small store in her home.
Esfuerzo y Esperanza (Effort and Hope), the name of her small store, was born a week before Christmas 2020.
With the sale of two banana bunches which she had received as gifts, plus her annual Christmas bonus, Amanda invested in her first product to sell, natural soft drinks. In the following weeks as the sales of the soft drinks increased, she added pastries to her inventory. With much effort, a refrigerator and a freezer were purchased so she could offer refrigerated products so could include ice cream, chicken, eggs, cheese, sausage, and more. Later she added basic grains, candies, hygiene, and cleaning products.
Today she has been able to introduce other products of necessity that the community requested such as propane gas, paper, and plastic products, amongst other items. What a way to help herself, her family, and the community which did not have any markets nearby!
Amanda smiled with gratitude as she shared with us her story of how she began. She also shares this with the rest of the women in the small community in order to motivate them to move forward in spite of adversity. She adds with pride:
"I achieved all of this without the help of any man by my side, I was alone and I did it".
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