Courage. Perseverance. A willingness to forge her own path.
Those are a few of the words that come to mind when you hear Albertina Calanchi’s story.

Albertina, who speaks Spanish and Quechua, was raised the youngest of seven children high in the Peruvian Andes near Cusco. Though her parents believed that women shouldn’t get higher education, she enrolled in a teacher education program in the local university.

She eventually had to leave because of the cost, but Albertina continued to push beyond traditional roles. As a wife and mother, she started a dairy business with one cow. To fund the business, she started taking out microloans from GP microfinance partner Arariwa—borrowing collectively with a village bank of seven women, all dairy farmers.

Loans and  training from Arariwa, plus Albertina’s smarts and skills, proved a powerful mix. She grew her herd to 10 Holstein cows. She also secured a consistent market for the milk produced by her village bank, a rented space in a local supermarket. The supermarket space was hard won, and involved preparing the supermarket owner a meal of Peruvian delicacies, including cuy (guinea pig). Now the women sell half the milk they produce there.

Like many women microentreprenuers, Albertina has plowed her profits into her family. Her husband bought a bus that he drives as a business. Her son, age 16, is pursuing a profession, attending dental school. Albertina works hard to make sure that her daughter, age 10, will one day follow suit.