Stories of Transformation with ADCASMUS – Part 4

Rosa’s Story: Rosa Evelia Henriquez, 65-year-old small business owner

In 2011, following Tropical Depression 12E, a cyclone that ravaged Central America, Rosa Evelia Henriquez lost her home and personal possessions. The disaster left her community uninhabitable, and forced her family to relocate elsewhere. As ADCADMUS launched a microcredit program in the community she newly joined, however, the opportunity proved to be what Rosa needed to get back on her feet. Once she was selected as a participant for the program, she used the loan she received to launch a small business with her daughter.

Rosa hard at work making pupusas.

Together, Rosa and her daughter sold pupusas, a commonly consumed local food item. Their enterprise grew successful, and the revenue it generated enabled them to improve their family’s quality of life.

In light of this, the two businessowners went a step further; they diversified their small commerce by incorporating the sale of eggs. This in turn bolstered their revenue, increasing it by 30 percent. However, with the arrival of COVID-19 in March of 2020, the state of their business began to shift. As the population experienced confinement, Rosa and her daughter were forced to stop selling their products. This put their family once more in a difficult situation, as their source of income disappeared.

However, with the reopening of establishments and a return to public life gradually occurring, Rosa hopes to be able to resume her business and continue growing it soon