Berkley Center

Background: As part of the Education and Global Social Justice Project, in summer 2013 undergraduate student Sarah Baran interviewed Daniela Escudero, a credit assessor at the Santa Brigada agency of Protagonizar, a microcredit lender in the lower class community of San Miguel, Buenos Aires, Argentina. In this interview Escudero discusses Protagonizar's presence in the community, how faith plays a role in the agency, and what she finds most rewarding about her position.

Can you please share with me a little bit more about your background, your family, your past work experience, and what lead you to Protagonizar?

I have lived in Santa Brigida my whole live. My mother is from a different province, but my father has lived here his entire life. I have seven siblings. Including me, there are eight of us in total, four boys and four girls. I’m in the middle. I live with my brother, who is eleven, my dad, my sister, and my niece. I have a twin, too, but he lives with a different family. My dad works in a hospital, where part of the time he cleans the facilities and the rest of the time he helps in the sector that performs tests and experiments on animals before applying them to people. He also has his own little business on the side that is separate from his work, where he sells different things depending on the season. For example, now it’s winter, so he sells hats and gloves or other things to stay warm. My mother cares for the house.

Before I was contracted with Protagonizar, I finished high school and worked for a supermarket distributing and selling food from house to house. I also helped my dad with his business. I found out about Protagonizar through my church, Nuestra Señora Italti. It was very special. I worked with the children that used to study in the church. Padre Diego worked in the foundation, and he asked if I needed work and told me about the open position at Protagonizar. I took the tests to prove that I had the capacity to work here, and now it’s been five years and about six months. I first began at Mitre for a couple of days during the week and then worked in Santa Brigida for the rest of the week. It all depended on the day and the activity of each agency.

Can you please tell me more about your responsibilities now in your current position?

I am an assessor of credit, and thus it is my responsibility to contact the entrepreneurs. I will visit their homes, and, when they first come here to learn about the process, I spend time with them until they receive their credit, explaining the requirements, the evaluation process, that they need to be in groups, etc. When we evaluate a new group to see if we will approve their loan, I present all of their information and make the case for them when we get together at the meeting to commit every Friday. I now have about 500 entrepreneurs.

In your opinion what are the impacts of Protagonizar on the community?

After their businesses grow, the first thing people usually invest in is their house. They will fix the floor or sometimes will be able to save enough to buy an actual house. This is what we try to help them do—work towards progress, officially in their businesses, but this of course also has effects on the quality of their life. If the family is deficient in something or if they want better education for their children, then they will use the money to send their children to a private school instead of the state public schools.

What is the role of education in Protagonizar?

In reality, education has a strong role because people have to receive the credits in a group and keep their promises with the group. They learn about the responsibility and solidarity of being together. If one is sick, then the others have to help him recover in order to receive more credit. The promise to return the money exists so that this same money can be shared with another group. It’s a cycle.

What is the role of faith in your life and in the work of Protagonizar?

In my life, I have a lot of faith. I am a strong believer that I am here to do something. God needs help, a hand to work in progressing in his project, and this is my role. It is present in the mission of Protagonizar, too. For example, it is important that our work extends beyond giving credit. We do not merely deliver the money, close the door, and say bye. There is more to it than that. What happens in life, the difficulties that they have, are things that not everyone has. If they feel uncomfortable, we think of how we can accompany them in this way.

Faith is in us here, in each person and the way we work to achieve solidarity. There is no pressure or rule for the people, the entrepreneurs, to have a faith. There are many people who do not have a faith because the reality here is very strong. They are sick with more than the flu, with chronic diseases and cancer, things that are very strong. There are houses with nothing but the earth as the floor. Instead, faith works in the root of the idea that they can grow through the credit we offer, with a cost that is very low. The people need others to grow in the community, too.

What is the most difficult part of your work?

The most difficult part is seeing the reality outside. You have to try to not feel bad when you hear about their problems like when a child is murdered; there is always a mountain of problems and from people that you know well. Also, there is the concern of insecurity. When I go out on the evaluations I am always careful and dress in baggy old clothes and put my hair up. Every once and a while you will hear about how some poor girl’s hair was cut off because they can sell it for extensions. There are a lot of robbers and those in another mental state from drugs or the lifestyle they have led. We leave knowing it is dangerous, but it’s in the hand of God.

What are the factors that are the most important to the success of Protagonizar?

People respond well to us and, as a result, return the loan. We are very clear in this, and our relationship with the entrepreneurs, I believe, plays a large role in facilitating this success. Talking with and getting to know the people is fundamental.

Can you please compare the differences between a private bank or other microfinance organization and Protagonizar?

Our administrative cost is low. We do not receive a profit. As I have mentioned several times, the way we treat the entrepreneurs is not cold, but rather we accompany them. The majority of our entrepreneurs lives close and knows about Protagonizar because someone recommended it to them. Then we have to verify if they are credible and in good shape financially and assure that they do not have any debts they were hiding from us through a neighbor as another reference. We observe if the person is in a bad situation. We follow in working with them. We have to be very observant. Sometimes after a visit, you will hear something small mentioned about another person in the group or something that did not go right with the business. You then have to follow up and ask more questions about this point. Then as soon as you leave, you have to write it all down and take notes because this is how you figure out where someone is financially and why they can or can’t pay.

What are the consequences if someone cannot pay?

Before people can sign for a loan, in the contact they have to list an item of value that is not a car or their house or another vital item. Sometimes it will be a refrigerator. This is for accountability, but honestly we rarely ever take the item if they cannot pay because the people we work with are very poor and this is all they have. We call them and always maintain the contact, asking what went wrong when something comes up. We explain to them why we need it, how they are responsible for maintaining the contract. If the loan is being used to purchase a new machine for their business, then this item is used instead. In this case, if they are unable to return the loan, we ask them to give us the machine. However, this case is a lot rarer because if they are buying some type of equipment, it is usually after they have been with us for several years and maintained a good history with us.

What is your favorite part of work?

My favorite part is being with the people. It is beautiful to see them and their progress. I admire the force they have to continue despite all of their economic problems. The majority opens their arms to us. I have also learned a lot from them. I have my own little business where I teach dance classes. Dance has always been a big part of my life. I could never afford classes when I was younger, but when I turned fifteen, I started taking classes and was part of a team, dancing in theatres, competitions, and shows until this past December when I hurt myself and could not continue. I started my classes after first organizing a show with little angels in the church and then began holding my own classes in the church. It was very exciting for me. At first they were free, but as more and more people became interested. I started holding more frequently and in a gymnasium with Fe y Alegria. This was also where people had more of a capacity to pay for the classes. A boy who we gave credit to offered to have classes here. The program has now grown a little bit more, and I hold them in the living room of my house. We added a huge mirror on one side, and my family stays out of this part when I have classes. The classes are held three times during the week, with the last one on Saturday. It’s better in my house now because it’s easier for me. This is my dream, to have my own dance studio and be able to devote more time to it. I would build it on to my house. Then, I would like to give scholarships to those who could not afford to pay. I would evaluate their situation and accommodate accordingly because when I was younger, I was the student that wanted to participate but could not. Now we are a little tight on space, but I still teach reggaeton, ballet, and jazz. My students generally range from 5 to 15 years old, but I once had a student that was eighty! She was an older woman, and it was hard for her because she was embarrassed.

I have two projects—my dance classes, and then I also use the money I earn for my travels. I want to travel and know all of Argentina and all the different provinces. I have visited almost seven now. I travel with my boyfriend. The last one I went on was in February—we went to the south. I love walking through the forests, seeing the lakes, nature. It’s beautiful, so beautiful. Of course, part of my money is always for my family.

I am thankful to them for their own work because they have taught me many things. When I see people who have persevered and came from lives that were very difficult but now have made a better life for themselves, it’s inspiring.