Babies and Banking

By Julia Kastner, KF9 Mexico

As I was taking pesos out of a bank here in Mexico City, it seemed very quiet, and it hit me – no babies! For many of us, going to the bank (or the doctor, the post office, etc.) is a quiet, adult activity, but for many recipients of micro-loans, they have responsibilities like children that can’t get left behind.

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They often don’t have anyone else to care else for their kids while getting business done – some borrowers even say they started their own business so they could spend more time at home with their kids. There was a child present at almost every group I’ve visited in Mexico with Fundacion Realidad so far – which can make a loan transaction a bit more complicated, especially if the young kids are crying or throwing things! It’s been interesting to see the role kids play during loan disbursals, and its incredible to imagine that all day long, our borrowers are both running businesses AND taking care of their families.

I filmed a couple of the kids I met on the way – some of whom are not only around the house all day, but may also part of the generations-old family business in a few years!

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