Counterpart partners with Federación Nacional de Cooperativas de Ahorro y Crédito (MICOOPE) to empower communities and promote microfinance in Guatemala through the provision of loan services. This video sheds light on individuals like Hiram Gomez, illustrating how they use loans to amplify their business ventures.

Gomez’s original business only included selling flowers and distributing propane gas in his community, but after receiving financial support through loans, his family was able to get involved and he began diversifying his enterprise to sell mill to grind corn into masa. Recognizing the increasing demand, Gomez used the loans he received to procure more machines and enhance the efficiency of his nixtamal deliveries, and extended assistance to others in his community.

Our USDA-funded Food for Progress program has facilitated the distribution of over 8,000 agricultural loans to rural Guatemalan cultivators. To learn more about the project and Gomez’s story, watch the video below.