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Caja Rural in Piriatí Emberá

• Caja Rural or Caja refers to a community bank!
• The Caja is composed of community members from Piriatí Emberá
• Women represent about 95% of the members of the Caja Rural. Many earn their income by raising animals as livestock along with their husbands who work in agriculture, or work and live as housewives.
• The men in the community hold the leadership positions. The majority earn their living by working in agriculture.
• The Caja Rural of Piriati Embera currently offers Personal Loans, Personal, and Christmas savings, giving members of the community access to financial inclusion
• During the Board of Directors Microfinance Workshop in November 2014, where the board of directors from all community banks gathered in Panama City for a weekend of training, Piriati Embera won 2 prizes: most amount of saving for the fiscal year, most amount of loans in the fiscal year and was awarded “BEST CAJA RURAL OF 2014,” demonstrating the amazing performance of the community bank over the year and the great management of the board of directors.

Board of Directors

President: Eloida Bichibi (age 43)

This  lovely lady was voted to be the president of the caja a little over a year ago. Since then she has made it her number one priority to be a role model for her Caja Rural and her community. She is a very active participant in Global brigades projects and other local organizations that work in the area. “It's not easy to lead such a large group, but I do it because my mind is set on the big picture and the future of Piriati Embera."

Secretary: Tatiana Olea (age 22)

Tatiana not too long ago accepted the challenge of being the youngest secretary to be elected in Piriatí's caja rural. “ I really want to learn more and grow as a leader,” Tatiana stated as we interviewed her.  The former secretary had to resign because of work-related issues and had not been able to dedicate enough time to her recently opened kiosk.

Treasurer: Migdalis Cunampio (age 31)

The level of devotion that Migdalis puts in to the caja rural bookkeeping and attention to detail is breathtaking. This single mother of two, just like most people in her community, has many personal responsibilities and necessities but she states that the time spent with the caja rural endeavors is an investment for her. “Learning is priceless and the more I know the more I can help my community." Migdalis has now returned to school to finish  college, and has her first semester being paid for by the members of the Caja Rural.

Visit Other Programs in Piriatí Emberá

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 Piriatí Emberá:

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