Imagine your home as a daycare with 15 kids, with the responsibility to take care of all of them and make sure they are healthy and happy. It might be overwhelming. But for Rosalba, it’s been her dream to run a daycare.
Rosalba lives with her 2 children in a poor neighborhood of Medellin, Colombia. She opened up about the hardships she faced and the challenges in working long hours in daycare. "I could easily work less and only care about making money, but I do this with love and care for the children."
She understands the children's background and the issues they deal with, so she is motivated to provide a healthy environment for them to be safe, healthy and educated.
Rosalba hosts a daycare at her house 6 days a week and cares for around 15 children from infancy to the age of 5. The partially painted walls of the daycare house organized books, teaching materials and a humble but spotless kitchen.
According to a UNICEF report, more women are getting jobs in Colombia, which means that they need to enroll their children in daycares that cost them a lot of money.
Many Colombian women have decided to open daycares in their homes. They typically can provide daycare from their own home for a dozen or so children in their neighborhood.
Rosalba was able to afford her daycare supplies with her Kiva loan. It also helped her buy teaching materials and containers to organize the daycare better.
After providing for her family, Rosalba reinvests her earnings in the daycare.
In 5 or 10 years, Rosalba envisions a new daycare center with more space for the kids, since the current room is too small for active kids.
Many women in Colombia seek to get a loan to start a business or to continue doing what they love. Click here to make a loan to an inspiring woman like Rosalba.
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