Improving Lives:
Gabriel Sequeria
Juigalpa, Nicaragua

Gabriel is a saddle-maker and one of the first clients of Global Partnerships microfinance partner PRODESA. Although Gabriel started his business 45 years ago, it wasn’t until his loan from PRODESA that he was able to expand his business. With his first loan of $562, he bought a sewing machine, new tools and a supply of skins. At age 62 and numerous loan cycles later, he has created a successful business with six employees. Additionally, he has used the profits from his business to buy two small farms and two work trucks. Gabriel, who came from very humble origins, wished throughout his childhood that he could earn enough money to buy his mother a bed so that she would not have to sleep on the floor. His mother, who raised Gabriel and his siblings on her own, sold flowers for a living. Today, Gabriel feels very proud that he has been able to provide for his family. His three children have all received an education, and, he boasts, his daughter is a practicing lawyer in Nicaragua.
"The resources for money are very limited here. What the institution did was to train us and teach us about how to make payments and take loans. This is our only resource to get financed. With a lot of effort I have made my 'cents.' I hope that someone else will follow my example, that I started from nothing. I am not a great man, but I have acquired a lot of things to help my business grow.”     ~ Gabriel