Dolores Maritza Jiménez de Portillo of El Salvador is only 29 years old, but she has already experienced a lifetime’s worth of hard work and accomplishments.

Now the owner of a successful store and a mother of two sons, Maritza began working at the age of five when she accompanied her mother to her job at a small restaurant. By age 12, Maritza had left school and was working full time. Her family was poor and, like many Salvadorans, they suffered further privations during the country’s decade-long civil war.

Married at 21, Maritza first benefited from microfinance in 2003, when she enrolled in a loan program to help low-income Salvadorans acquire land and a home in a development in central El Salvador, facilitated by Global Partnerships microfinance partner Apoyo Integral. To begin paying back the loan, Maritza started selling atol (a sweet corn meal drink).

Her business became successful quickly, so much so that she was able to pay back her initial loan and take out a $500 loan from Apoyo Integral to realize her longtime dream of opening a small store that sold everyday necessities. The combination of microcredit and Maritza’s business smarts and creativity have helped her increase her revenues and grow her business.

Maritza still works long hours—her business is open from 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.—but with the help of microfinance, her family is doing well. Her husband Saúl helps her with the store, and their sons (ages 8 and 10) attend school, realizing opportunities she never had. As for Maritza, she dreams of one day opening a small supermarket.

See also:

A one-minute slideshow of Maritza's life in El Salvador