Portrait of a Plenty Belize
Micro-grant Recipient
by Tasha Portillo
On August 18, 2009 I travelled to the small and picturesque village of Blue Creek to visit one of Plenty Belize’s many micro grant recipients,
Ms. Ofelia Sho. She is a 48 yr.-old entrepreneur working from home running a range of businesses including a small restaurant.
On the menu for the day was curry chicken, rice and vegetable salad. As we sat down to talk Ms. Sho explained to me how she came into her business ventures. |
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She began the restaurant almost five years ago, first selling from inside her home then constructing a patio to seat her customers. She applied for a micro-grant in July 2008, and since then business has never been better. An expansion to the eating area has been constructed and more chairs and tables have been added. In addition to running the restaurant Ms. Sho also owns a small shop, produces assorted flavors of jams, has run a sewing business for almost ten years and is currently constructing a guest house.
Ms. Sho is dedicated to all her endeavors and shows great enjoyment in what she does. She expressed her gratitude for the help she received from Plenty Belize stating, “ I am glad for assistance and encourage people to get help.” Ofelia is one of the Traditional Birth Attendants trained by Plenty and is still active helping mothers in her small community before, during and after delivery. |
