On 06 December 2011, Genzell Mauricio Suarez Ropero, of El Carmen de Viboral, Columbia became the final 2011 recipient of a Crown Trust KIVA microloan.

Genzell, at age 43, is the father of a six-year-old son. His wife died in childbirth leaving Genzell the responsibility of being a father and a mother at the same time. Genzell's dream is to see his son grow into a mature, professional individual.

Genzell works as a construction helper, and he has his own independent potato crop and a goat on the farm where he lives. Genzell has plenty of experience with crops and animals since he has worked on a farm for 20 years.

With this loan, Genzell desires to buy a dairy cow that will permit him to generate a better income for the support of his son.

This MicroLoan was made under our agreement with www.kiva.org and has been disbursed through Interactuar, a Social Development Corporation and KIVA cooperating lending agency.

Interactuar’s mission is to promote the creation & consolidation of more than 200,000 microbusinesses in the department of Antioquia, through the provision of a wide variety of microfinance & business development services for low income populations. Through these businesses, new employment opportunities were created & hope aroused in families who initially thought they could never make ends meet.

This model has brought significant results in Medellin & in the metropolitan area but also attended the needs of microentrepreneurs in 47 other cities in the Antioquia department. Interactuar offers financial services & also business development services.

Financial services include microloans ranging from 300,000 COP (US$ 160) to 40,000,000 (US$ 21.500), with loan term from 3 to 36 months.

Microloans target the following areas:

Working capital
Fixed assets
Business creation
Loans to access Interactuar’s services

Interactuar also offers microinsurance products. This product ensures the following coverage to the microentrepreneur:

Life insurance
Compensation for accidental deaths
Permanent & total physical disabilities
Accidental dismemberments
Upper & lower limbs fractures
Second & third degree burns
Microinsurance products also ensure the following coverage for the microbusiness:
Fire hazards, lightning strikes & explosions
Earthquakes, avalanches, landslides & floods
Riots, protests & strikes
Third parties or terrorists’ malicious acts

Aside from financial services, Interactuar is renowned at the national & international levels for its business development services. Training programs are optional for clients and include the following:

FOODS

Bakery
Meat
Dairy products
Fruits & Vegetable processing

PRODUCTION

Interactuar trains & certifies according to international standards highly efficient & productive work force. Interactuar’s program includes training for the microentrepreneur and his operatives.

BUSINESS TRAINING

Interactuar provides training to develop highly successful businesses. It enables trainees to receive an appropriate preparation & helps them develop their professional network.

SHOPS, MINI MARKETS & SMALL BUSINESSES

Through didactic shops, Interactuar trains shop keepers to systematize their operations & build a more efficient business model.

BEAUTY PARLORS

Interactuar offers theoretic & practical trainings through which microentrepreneurs acquire technical knowledge & abilities that enables them to create their own business in that particular economic sector.

ADMINISTRATION & SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT

Interactuar provides microentrepreneurs tools to be more competitive through the development of their administrative knowledge abilities & skills.

GASTRONOMY, HOTEL BUSINESS & SMALL TOURISM

Interactuar provides microentrepreneurs with a modern Training Center in Gastronomy, Hotel business & Small tourism sectors. This Center simulates real life case studies & is manned with personnel who are able to develop basic to high tech technics. Interactuar provides training courses in order for the microentrepreneur to differentiate his product in a highly competitive environment.

Interactuar has won various awards both at the national & international level:

The Order of Industrial Merit in the category Grand Officer granted by the Colombian President and the Industry & Commerce Minister in 2008.
The award for excellent Business Development Services granted by the Inter-American Development Bank in 2006

More information about Interactuar is available at the website here: http://www.kiva.org/partners/177