Before finding out about Trickle Up Sixta González was unable to afford basic needs like medicine, visits to the doctor, or even the cost of nutritious food. A sixty-year-old widow, she learned about Trickle Up through a widows’ support group. Once she received her first grant, Sixta, a mother of seven, began her own business making traditional crafts and selling foodstuffs. She used her first check to purchase basic supplies like corn, firewood, glue, and other products that she could use to make crafts. Now she sells the piñatas and earthenware pottery that she makes in addition to beans and her own baked tortillas. One of her children, a daughter who still lives with her at her home, helps her with the business.

With her profits Sixta can now afford to meet her own health and personal needs – taking herself to the doctor if she’s sick, for instance, and buying medicine to stay healthy. And in addition to improving her quality of life, Sixta’s business has taught her about trade and has enabled her to acquire market skills like buying and selling.

Having her own business also allowed her to learn how to manage her money, and has given her a sense of independence. Because she takes pride in the merchandise that she crafts, she plans to continue producing and selling her wares for a long time to come.