|
Culture,
Independence and Poverty
A
strong sense of culture and independence radiates from the
remote villages of Chiapas, a southern state of Mexico. Numerous
indigenous communities have preserved their own languages,
styles of dress, and traditions. But sadly, this cultural
richness is coupled with severe poverty. Half of Chiapas'
3.2 million citizens live in poverty; 65% of children are
malnourished; 58% of people do not have access to clean water;
and 30% of adults are illiterate. Such poverty has given rise
to social movements that aim to improve living conditions
for the people of Chiapas, without sacrificing their indigenous
identities. The most famous of these movements has been the
EZLN(the Zapatistas), whose charismatic militant leader, Subcomandante
Marcos, has attracted international attention since the EZLN's
first major battle with the government in 1994.
However,
the Zapatistas are just one of many organizations
working to improve Chiapas' standard of living.
Less
flamboyant and less violent activists include micro-credit
providers such as Alternativa Solidaridad (ALSol),
a highly successful Grameen replication in Chiapas.
AlSol:
Providing Financial Tools for Change
AlSol
was founded in 1998 by two ambitious and visionary women,
Claudia Rovelo and Pilar
Garcia.
They established AlSol in a small Chiapan town, San
Cristobol de las Casas, in order to provide poor women with
the financial tools necessary to change their own lives.
AlSol's
loans begin at 500 pesos (about $54) and progress up to 5000
pesos (about $540) by the fifth loan cycle. The loans are
repaid within one year. AlSol charges 2% monthly interest
for rural loans and 3% for urban loans. These rates are based
on declining balances, so AlSol's interest is considerably
lower than other micro-credit providers in Mexico, which typically
charge a 6% monthly flat rate.
These
loans currently go to 1700 women, who mostly use money to
purchase materials to make artisan products that they sell
in the market and city store. Some also invest the money in
agriculture or livestock. Each woman is a member of a group
with 2-9 other women from her own community. Generally, there
are 2-7 groups per community and together, these groups form
a center. Every week the center meets in someone's house or
yard. During this time the women make payments on their loans
and deposit some savings. With this weekly installment system,
AlSol has a 94% repayment rate.
As
a requirement, every borrower must save at least 20% of her
loan amount. For example, if a woman takes out a 500 peso
loan, each week she must pay 15 pesos.
|
GT-
Chiapas
Grameen
TrustChiapas is the first Grameen replication in
Chiapas, Mexico, which was initiated in 1998 with financial
and technical support from Grameen Trust.
GT-Chiapas
provides financial services to the poor in rural and
urban San Cristobal de Las Casas as well as
Zinacantan, Amatenango del Valle and Las Rosas in the
rural areas. GT-Chiapas has reached 1,466 borrowers,
90% of whom are women. The project has formed 84 centers
and 296 groups. US$ 1,471,901 has so far been disbursed
as loans and the repayment rate 94%.
Ms
Maricela Gamboa de Lescieur, the executive director
of GT-Chiapas reports that demand for loans is exceptionally
high in Chiapas.. The borrowers in the rural areas are
engaged in a number of activities including agriculture,
buying and selling vegetables in the market, growing
and selling flowers, tailoring, raising chicken, pig,
goat, cattle and arts and crafts. In the peri-urban
areas, the borrowers take loans for stationery stores,
carpentry, tailoring and for selling prepared foods
like 'tacos' and 'tamales' on the street.
|
_________________________________
By
Miranda Jennings & Dwight Haase from Chiapas
|
