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“Women's
Initiative helped me not only to increase
my business knowledge and income, but also
to value myself as a mother, woman, and
entrepreneur.”
In a small town in El
Salvador, Gabriela, a single mother of two,
was working hard to save money to immigrate
to the United States. After five years delivering
dairy products day and night, Gabriela made
her dream come true and left her homeland
with the intention to give a better life
to her family.
Gabriela arrived in
the United States in August 1993. With almost
no money, but with lots of dreams, she tried
her best to overcome the hardship. Life
in San Francisco was not easy for Gabriela;
the lack of English and education did not
allow her to find a job. After a long search,
she found a job as a housekeeper. However,
she was treated poorly and kept the job
only to support herself and send what little
she could to her children back in El Salvador.
In 1994, Gabriela met
the man who later became her husband and
father of her three daughters. With his
help she left the dead-end house cleaning
job, but he also began to emotionally and
physically abuse Gabriela. With no job,
five kids and an abusive partner, Gabriela
fell into a deep depression.
Gabriela’s husband
only allowed her to leave the house to buy
groceries. She discovered ALAS, the Women's
Initiative training program tailored to
Latina entrepreneurs, on her walk to the
grocery store. Every time Gabriela went
to the market, she saw many women entering
the Women's Initiative office for a class
and was curious about the training. She
dropped by the office one day to find out
about the course. When she knew that Women's
Initiative could help her open her own business
and become self-sufficient, she began to
see hope in her life again. That hope was
dashed out when her husband prohibited her
from attending the business management class.
Gabriela desire to be
part of the program never wavered and after
a few years, Gabriela decided to talk to
one of the small business trainers at Women's
Initiative despite her husband’s disapproval.
“The inspiring words of the trainer
and the unconditional support received from
the Women's Initiative team helped me to
end the abusive circle in which I have been
part of for seven years,” shared Gabriela.
When Gabriela began
the program, her idea was to open a café
or a childcare business. However, she decided
to continue with the small tables and chairs
renting business that her husband operated
and abandoned once they separated. When
Gabriela started Mom, Son, & Daughters
Tables and Chairs Renting she had only 340
chairs and 54 tables. Today Gabriela’s
business has grown to a rental company with
more than 1500 chairs and 130 tables. Gabriela
is the sole proprietor of her business and
her children are active in supporting her
business success. Her daughters Gabriela,
Xiomara, and Cinthia motivate and her to
continue her business and quest for financial
independence.
Thanks to Women's
Initiative and her family, Gabriela has
achieved her dream and is looking for new
ways to expand her business. Gabriela says
that while today she only rents tables and
chairs, little by little she is looking
to add more items to her inventory, such
as tablecloths and other party supplies.
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Women's
Initiative is funded in part through a cooperative
agreement with the U.S Small Business Administration
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