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.