Babies and Banking
9 October 2009 at 07:24 Julia Kastner 7 comments
By Julia Kastner, KF9 Mexico
As I was taking pesos out of a bank here in Mexico City, it seemed very quiet, and it hit me – no babies! For many of us, going to the bank (or the doctor, the post office, etc.) is a quiet, adult activity, but for many recipients of micro-loans, they have responsibilities like children that can’t get left behind.
They often don’t have anyone else to care else for their kids while getting business done – some borrowers even say they started their own business so they could spend more time at home with their kids. There was a child present at almost every group I’ve visited in Mexico with Fundacion Realidad so far – which can make a loan transaction a bit more complicated, especially if the young kids are crying or throwing things! It’s been interesting to see the role kids play during loan disbursals, and its incredible to imagine that all day long, our borrowers are both running businesses AND taking care of their families.
I filmed a couple of the kids I met on the way – some of whom are not only around the house all day, but may also part of the generations-old family business in a few years!
Entry filed under: Fundación Realidad, KF9 (Kiva Fellows 9th Class), Mexico. Tags: children, Fundacion Realidad, KF9, Kiva, Kiva Fellows, Mexico, Mexico City.
1. Avani | 19 October 2009 at 13:34
Julia – I saw this a lot in India where kids were a part of the family business while going/or not going to school. Sometimes I think the movements to end child labor overlook that intergenerational learning often occurs through the transmission of a trade from one generation to the next. Thanks for sharing!
2. howard | 12 October 2009 at 20:07
I know that this is off-subject but when you referenced the old dog-ate-my-term-paper schtick the thought came to me that if a dog ever really DID eat your term paper, you’d probably have to make up an even better story to be believed. Anyhow, I appreciate your response.
3. Julia Kastner | 12 October 2009 at 18:26
Thank you for your comments – I hadn’t really thought about what the kids might learn from being there (perhaps because I don’t have any myself!) I asked a loan officer today, as we trekked out to a small town three hours outside of Mexico City, what her opinion was. She’s seen it go either way – loan transactions where the kids are learning/subconsciously absorbing what’s going on around them vs. transactions where borrowers use their children as an excuse for late payment. She even saw one borrower take a child’s crayon to scribble out her loan history – like the “dog ate my homework” excuse!
4. howard | 11 October 2009 at 17:57
Having the children, even babies, involved in the microloan situation will probably help them grow up more informed about the world around them. Unfortunately middle class kids here usually grow up with almost no understanding at all regarding the link between working (and saving and planning and budgeting) and acquiring the things you want and need. The (lucky?) ones often are almost adults before they get their first clues.
5. Gemma | 10 October 2009 at 21:11
How having and caring for a family affects the lives of borrowers is something we don’t always hear about, thanks for that perspective.
6. Jan & John, KivaFriends | 9 October 2009 at 09:16
Sometimes, our kids are over-programmed
Its also possible to that think our ‘progessive’ world could actually be poorer for the ability to ‘drop’ our kids while we go on about our adult business. Interesting thoughts, thanks Julia, jan
7. Babies and banking « Julia Kastner – Kiva Fellow | 9 October 2009 at 07:27
[...] October 9, 2009 · Leave a Comment I just posted a video and post on the Kiva Fellows blog about children hanging around during micro-loan transactions. Check it out here! [...]