New immigrant builds a business from scratch with a small loan from ACCION USA

Martha Sierra did not want to come to the U.S.: she loves her native Colombia, and she didn't want to leave the small house she owned there. But when guerrillas threatened to kidnap her daughter, Martha felt emigration was her only option.

A chance to start over
"When I first got to Atlanta, I had $300 to my name," she remembers. A seamstress by training, Martha started looking for a way to start her own business. She found the Women's Economic Development Association (WEDA), and learned that if she attended a business course, they would refer her to ACCION USA. Martha took the course and applied to ACCION USA for a loan of $2,700. When she was approved, she bought three sewing machines and went into business.

Colorful dresses and frilly aprons
Today, Martha has her own stall in Plaza Fiesta, a mall that serves Atlanta's large Mexican population. Once abandoned, Plaza Fiesta was resurrected by Hispanic vendors. Instead of the large storefronts common to most U.S. malls, it features rows of bright market stalls, like indoor markets in Latin America.

Martha's stall is hung with clothing she's made: colorful dresses, a bright Mexican blanket, and frilly aprons. She's thinking of adding princess dresses for birthdays and special occasions, something her clients have been asking for. "I have an employee who works with me five days a week now, and my business is going well," Martha says.

Loan made it possible
"If I hadn't gotten a loan from ACCION USA," she adds, "I wouldn't have been able to do this."

WEDA and ACCION USA
The Women's Economic and Development Association (WEDA) provides training and technical assistance for people starting businesses. In addition to business classes and pro bono legal services, WEDA also refers clients to ACCION USA for business funding. "ACCION USA opens opportunities for people," says WEDA representative, Carolina Vargas.
 

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