Kiva Stories from the Field

“For a Woman, this Floor is Everything”

17 October 2008 at 14:11 kaliegold 6 comments

Thursday, Oct 16th

Ingrid's House

Santo Domingo

At 2:30pm yesterday I watched the Caribbean ocean rush past the airplane windows as we descended towards the Santo Domingo tarmac.  After a quick bustle through customs, an exchange of US dollars for pesos  (oh and no lost bags!)  I was quickly collected by two Esperanza International employees.  Tricia, (Esperanza intern coordinator), had housing, dinner, and a stop a the supermarket already planned out for me.  She and I went off and ate burritos, talked about college experiences in the DR and US, and compared notes on what we are thinking of for grad school (Tricia, by the way, speaks English rather flawlessly, has an undergraduate law degree, and plans for further studies of international trade).

Tricia drove me around part of Santo Domingo (SD), accurately noting that the city offers pretty much the similar amenities you’d find in a US city: KFC, TGI Fridays, Kia/Honda/Mitzubishi dealerships, gyms, overpriced gas, supermarkets, an Apple-affiliate store, an upscale mall, and very nice housing for $550/month.  Unsurprisingly, SD has wealthy , poor, and middle-income neighborhoods throughout.

To my Boston and New York friends,  and even those who have seen Italians drive; Dominicans in Santo Domingo are in a whole other league of… well…let’s call it, “traffic navigation techniques.”  1) Flashing headlights means “you better know that I am NOT stopping for you, under any circumstances” 2) Merge now, look later 3) use your horn like your voice box  (they are cheery sounding for the most part), 4) the police at traffic lights might as well be on their lunch break. 5) Using your brakes is very wimpy.   Anyway, as far as driving goes, I give  WORST or maybe MOST TALENTED award to the Dominicans.  I am not sure which to call it…

Flash forward to 6:00am today, Thursday.  I get together some outdoor work clothes–jeans, sneakers, t-shirt.  Tricia has arranged for me to go out of the city and see an Esperanza project in action.  Co-worker Pablo (an Argentinian, previously with Habitat for Humanity) picks me and Mark (volunteer from Seattle) up by 7:00am, and we head out for a day of floor-building.

We drove about an hour outside of the city, to a small underdeveloped community where we met Ingrid: an Esperanza microfinance client (but not specifically a Kiva.org borrower).  Esperanza has just started to explore housing loan products within their micro credit operations.  Mark, who has been here for about two months already, explained that Esperanza’s most creditworthy clients (those who have regularly paid back different loans over several years) are now able to request housing-improvement loans.  These loans can be more risky for clients, since they do not add to small business profits.  However, these improvements are vital to family well being and health.

It is important to understand the state of housing in poor communities, such as Ingrid’s.  First,  the “best” accommodations, (and she described this to me) what one would aspire to, is made of concrete blocks, solid roofing, a cement floor and a small cement patio in the front.  Forget multiple stories, doors between rooms, indoor plumbing, or glass windows.   A good house is shelter, in this context, a shelter that will last and that can be cleaned at will.  No cement flooring means a dirt floor-for bedrooms, kitchen, and the infant who wants to crawl around. Cement, by contrast can be readily scrubbed, swept, and cleared of bugs and chicken poop.  As for concrete blocks, these are much more durable than the cheap alternatives: tin siding or wooden board siding.  Both tin and wood slats do not endure over time.  I recall how on my first trip to the DR, my host mother and daughter cleaned the floor eight to ten times a day–it was an amenity not at all taken for granted.  That family also had over time upgraded from tin siding to half-concrete block (bottom) and half wooden slats (top).  The roof, as I recall, was tin, and any rain that fell echoed like cascading gravel over our heads.

Ingrid explained that she feels cautious about the housing improvement loans–her past success with micro loans has meant quite hard and dedicated work.  She cooks and sells local fast food.  For her to now cover both her current business loan and a housing loan will mean a constant and careful consideration of her finances, and of course, lots more hard work.  She explained her vision as “paso a paso” or step by step–doing what she can as her means allow, and being careful.  Eventually, she hopes she can improve all aspects of the house, but for now, the floor takes priority.

Making the cement

Anyway, the floor construction began very quickly after our arrival.  A local mason, Ingrid, her husband, and between three and four of Ingrid’s fellow community bank members (all women) came to lend a hand and provide moral support.  Then three more Esperanza volunteers arrived (American) with two more Esperanza employees.  Esperanza volunteers worked in front of the house mixing sand, concrete dust, and water together for the there rooms inside–where Ingrid’s husband and the mason dumped and smoothed the mixture.  All the commotion in front of Ingrid’s house made for a constant stream of neighborhood visitors–most notably the local children who alleviated our down-time with dancing lessons and clapping games.

Smoothing the Concrete

At one point, an older grandmotherly woman also stopped by, and offered me her story with microfinance.  Unlike Ingrid, this woman had not  been able to continue beyond one micro loan (with a different organization) because her sister (and business partner) had fallen too ill to work, and soon after she herself had suffered thrombosis in her left arm–which now hangs useless at her side.  She told me that there was no way for her to ever return to a microfinance program, because it is impossible for her to work.  This woman watched the floor construction for a while longer, and then told me that with all her difficulties, she prays quite a lot.  Prayer, she said, is her lasting comfort.

What a view!

The floor work was done by 3:15, we had started at 9:00am.  As we said goodbye, Ingrid took the time to thank all of the Esperanza volunteers and employees.  She asserted, “It is just a floor, but for me, for a woman, this makes all the difference.”  I believe her words reflected an important observation in the microfinance communities around the world–women will work for the whole family, for meaningful and long term visions.

In all Ingrid’s project took only a few days to complete: Mark and Pablo had discussed the loan with her on Tuesday.  She had received the loan, moved her furnishings to a temporary location; the work was started and completed three days later.  Tonight, she and her family will let the concrete dry, and they will move back in tomorrow.  Imagine if remodeling your  own kitchen only took three days and less than $500.…I guess you just have to say “context is everything.”

As  for me, I head out tomorrow (Friday the 17th) for Santiago.  I’ll be staying there and initiating my Kiva work at the Esperanza-Santiago office!

More to come soon!

Cuidanse, que vayan bien

Kalie

Entry filed under: Dominican Republic, Esperanza International, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class). Tags: Dominican Republic, Esperanza, Housing, Housing Loan, Kalie Gold, KF6, microfinance, Women.