Marlene Pino Maldonado

Marlene is 38 years old and a single mother of an adult-aged son, Jorge.

Marlene alone has worked very hard to raise her child and give him the best, and is very proud that Jorge, despite the adversities was able to finish his secondary school, reaching a very high grade.

Marlene and Jorge support each other, they live in the community of Fredonia in the south of Cartagena, she is also a part of the trust group “New Paradise”.

She says when she got divorced, she was used to being supported by her ex-husband, and then she had to find a way to earn some money to cater for all her child’s needs.

Since that time she has been working on her outdoor sale of fried food called (empanada, arepas, buñuelos) made from flour, vegetables, meat and ground corn, she also sells bags and sanadals for women. She make along trip to buy these good in Bucaramanga, a city 8 hours far from where she lives, this city has the greater and the best production of shoes and sandals in Colombia, this way people purchase sandal at low prices.

Though the profit from this business she has been able to improve her family and raise her child with values.
Now she is planning to invest some money to purchase larger quantity of sandal thus distribute others seller and begin to be wholesale.

She says her main motivation now is be able to pay for her child’s university, because her child Jorge wants to study systems engineering.