Kiva Service-Learning in Guatemala: Day 4
by Alexis Balomaga ’16 On day four of our trip, we indulged in a microfinance-packed itinerary and visited three institutions. The first was Adigua, an established microfinance institution (MFI) in Guatemala. Adigua is an organization which was founded in 2003 and provides small loans to small farmers and entrepreneurs, mostly indigenous women. Adigua centered their vision around the human connection, serving 100% indigenous people while being 95% indigenous in staff. Only having a choice between big banks that would deny the poor loans, and loan sharks that would take advantage of the indigenous community, Adigua created an alternative in the Lake Atitlan region to give aspiring entrepreneurs access to capital and education through a safe, close personal relationship with the organization and their field partners. An ideal used by the majority of the microfinance institutions we visited was the financial education of the clients, increasing their financial literacy. Through the use of field agents, Adigua offers the loan, consultation and technical skills to decrease the risk rates of default. Adigua goes one step further, interacting and collaborating with a number of other organizations, one of which focus on lobbying to prevent laws from targeting the vulnerable. I found it very interesting and impressive just how professional Adigua was. When entering the conference room for a presentation, we were greeted with tea and coffee as well as a complimentary pastry. The amount of people Adigua has reached is amazing and expands throughout the rural areas of Guatemala.