By Mel Brown, Program Manager, Eskala, Inc. Panama, and Marilín M. Llanes, OP, Director, Office of Portfolio Advisory Board

February 9, 2026, Puerto Lara, Panama – Eskala, Inc., is helping bring hope and opportunity to financially excluded rural Indigenous communities across the Global South. Founded in 2020, Eskala is dedicated to developing accessible financial products and equipping clients with the tools they need to build economic prosperity and equity.

At its December 2025 meeting, the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Portfolio Advisory Board (PAB) unanimously approved a $200,000 low interest loan to first time recipient Eskala. This investment will help expand Eskala’s Economic Empowerment Program, supporting efforts to break the cycle of poverty in underserved communities – especially among women-led local savings and lending groups.

Mel Brown, program manager at Eskala, shares an inspiring story of how Indigenous women are becoming beacons of hope, transforming their communities from within:

In the remote community of Puerto Lara in Panama’s Darién province, economic opportunity has not always been within reach, especially for Indigenous women. For generations, families relied on agriculture, fishing, and traditional handicrafts, yet access to fair and affordable financial services remained out of reach. Today, that story is changing.

At the center of this transformation is Iraida Valencia, a 33-year-old artisan and community leader, and her husband, Moisés Chamapuro. Both are members of a rural community bank formed in 2015 by 52 Indigenous Wounaan women who came together to strengthen their household economies while preserving their ancestral traditions through handicrafts.

“When I was young, my mother couldn’t even enter a bank because of our traditional dress,” Iraida recalls. “My family and I never thought it would be possible to get a loan. Today, I am the proud president of our own rural bank.”

The community bank Iraida helps lead is supported by Eskala, a mission-driven social enterprise that partners with locally led savings and lending groups and community banks across Panama, Honduras, and Ghana. Rather than replacing community systems, Eskala invests in and strengthens them, ensuring that financial resources remain owned and governed by the people they are meant to serve. 

Iraida and Moisés received their first loan of just $500. They used it to invest in plantain farming and to purchase materials for making traditional baskets. At the time, Moisés worked in agriculture and fishing, while Iraida focused on handicrafts. Over the years, by repaying their loans responsibly, they gained access to larger amounts of credit, each one supporting a new step forward for their family.

A $3,000 loan allowed them to complete construction on their home and open a small mini-market in Puerto Lara, providing essential goods to neighbors who previously had to travel long distances. Another $2,000 loan, combined with their savings, helped them purchase a pickup truck, dramatically improving their ability to transport agricultural products to Panama City.

Their most recent loan, for $4,000, was granted in October 2025. With it, they expanded inventory for their mini-market, invested in handicrafts for resale at fairs throughout the country, and began purchasing agricultural products from neighbors to transport and sell in the city.

“For many years, money used to cost me 20% or even 50% interest,” Moisés says. “Borrowing meant enslaving all my effort, and these were the only options. Today, I know I can keep my pride and my traditions, because we are owners of our own capital.”

The impact of this journey extends far beyond one family. Iraida and Moisés now generate employment opportunities for neighbors, support local artisans, and help circulate income within their community. Through Eskala’s support, members received training in financial management, lending practices, and leadership, enabling them not only to access credit but to operate a sustainable community institution. Iraida, who joined the savings group at age 22, was elected president of the Puerto Lara community bank last year in recognition of her leadership and commitment.

Her story reflects what is possible when women are trusted as leaders, when access replaces exclusion, and when financial systems are built on dignity rather than extraction. With the continued accompaniment of partners like Eskala, communities such as Puerto Lara are not only improving livelihoods, but they are also reclaiming ownership of their future.

 

Learn more about the vital mission of Eskala: A community bank run by entrepreneurial women in Panama below or at this link.

 

Feature photo at top: Moisés Chamapuro, left, and his wife Iraida Valencia stand in their mini-market in Puerto Lara, Panama. They completed construction of their home and opened the mini-market after receiving a $3,000 loan from a community bank supported by Eskala, Inc.