Lissett: Fueling her Spark
Lissett wants her children to know they do not have to be like anyone else, and she is showing them how. With Bridge to Success, her Sololá salon has created six jobs and grown profits by 29%.
Friendship Bridge created Bridge to Success to serve the “missing middle” in women’s financial inclusion: entrepreneurs who have outgrown the microfinance group lending model but remain underserved by traditional financial institutions. These women have an enterprising spirit, are resilient, and are willing to assume some financial risk, but they are still living in vulnerable circumstances and in need of tailored support.
Though they represent a smaller portion of our total clients, their impact extends well beyond their own families to their employees and their broader community, making them a powerful force for building economic sustainability in rural Guatemala.
A Bridge to Success client grinds cacao beans to prepare chocolate.
How it works
To serve this highly variable segment, Bridge to Success provides personalized services focused on business growth, increased empowerment, and job creation. Clients access individual loans structured around their specific business opportunities and capacity alongside personalized mentoring, technical training, connections to peer networks, and access to markets.
- Financial Services: Individual loans offered to women entrepreneurs for working capital and purchasing fixed assets. Loan terms of 6-36 months, with fiduciary guarantees, possession rights, and mortgages, depending on the size of the loan.
- Business Training: Evidence-based classes focused on business strategy, planning, management, leadership, and community development, along with branding, business formalization services, networking, fairs, and business competition.
A Bridge to Success client stands proudly in front of her transportation business.
Stories
Learn more about our clients who have benefited from our Bridge to Success program.
Reina: New Confidence for Leadership
Reina is a Client Advisory Committee member who transformed her life as an entrepreneur and leader. From starting a small business to becoming an elected official, she proves that with the right support, anything is possible.
Lila: Continually Growing Assets
Lila has progressed from Trust Bank member to Bridge to Success client, but didn’t stop there. Her business skills and assets continue to grow through training and mentorship.
Eugenia: Sweet Success for Future Generations
Eugenia hopes that future generations of her family will continue to thrive as part of the business she expanded through our Women’s Entrepreneur Awards.
Elena: Turning Necessity into a Thriving Business
When Elena identified a new business opportunity during the COVID-19 pandemic, our Bridge to Success program helped her thrive.
Elvira: Investing in Potential
When Elvira joined Friendship Bridge’s Bridge to Success program back in August 2021, she already had an established customer base. Our Bridge to Success program gave her the skills to take her enterprise to the next level.
