Programs / Microfinance / Communities / Buena Vista «

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About Buena Vista

Buena Vista is a community of about 120 homes and a population of

approximately 516 people.  Located over 5,000 feet above sea level, it is

an extremely mountainous community, belonging to the municipality of

Morocelí.  Buena Vista is an agricultural community relying on the

production of corn and beans for sustenance.  School is offered until 9th

 

grade and approximately 95% of community members know how to read

and write.  After completing school, most children begin working in

agricultural just like their parents.  They grow coffee, corn, and beans. 

Their harvest is used to sustain their families, but they earn roughly

700 Lempiras ($35.00) per month selling some of their crops.

 

Buena Vista's Economic Challenge

Many of the community members in Buena Vista work in agriculture

privately owned small farms. Yet, the community has no access to credit,

and no one has ever taken out a loan. Larger financial institutions, which

are inaccessible due to distance and cost, also do notapprove loans to

community members without a fixed income, making it very difficult for

local microenterprises to grow and thrive.

 

The Microfinance Solution for Buena Vista

The Microfinance Team intends to bring student volunteers to Buena Vista

to do the following alongside community members in January 2015:
     •  Train and establish a community bank
     •  Provide in home financial consultations to community members
     •  Establish an agriculture store which sells pesticides and fertilizers

        to the community.
     •  Establish a micro-enterprise focused on coffee processing  so that
        the farmers can have more control over the prices they sell their
        coffee at.
     •  Provide educational seminars to adults and children in the
        community on the importance of savings, loans, and interest rates.

 

Current Status

Projected Start Date: January 2015

Global Brigades entered Buena Vista in 2011 with Medical and Dental Brigades.  In November 2012,

the Engineering and Water Team completed a water system giving Buena Vista access to clean water.  With water connected to each home, the Public Health Team is getting ready to enter to build latrines, eco-stoves, concrete floors, and water storages.  At the same time,  the Microfinance Team is preparing to create a community bank and train community members on savings and loans to pay for Public Health projects.

 

 

Visit Other Programs in Buena Vista

Global Brigades strives to implement a model of Holistic Development in communities through a system of collectively implementing health, economic, and education initiatives to strategically meet a community's development goals. Learn more about the other programs being implemented in Buena Vista:

 

Medical DentalEngineeringWaterPublic HealthBusinessArchitectureCHW