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.

By Lydia Shoaf
Content and Press Associate, Friendship Bridge

Yeiny, a young woman living in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, finished high school and started a family at a young age. But when her husband left, she found herself on her own with three school-age children to care for, in a country deeply rooted in gender inequality.

With 56% of Guatemala’s population living below the national poverty line and exceeding 70% poverty among rural, Indigenous populations, Yeiny knew she would have a tough road ahead. But she was determined to support her family. (Read more about the global gender gap and poverty and equity in Guatemala in reports prepared by the World Bank.) 

Committed to keeping her three children in school rather than dropping out to work (common among Guatemala’s impoverished families), Yeiny began selling fruit outside of a school. In order to improve her financial situation and grow her business, she became a client of Friendship Bridge, a nonprofit social enterprise that offers small loans to low-income women. 

Friendship Bridge serves women in Guatemala who couldn’t get a loan from a traditional bank. With an average loan of about $600 per person, women typically borrow money as a group in their local community, called a trust bank, to support one another and ensure they’ll be able to make their loan payments. Yeiny joined the Entre Alamos Trust Bank in Huehuetenango, and the money she received from her loan allowed her to reinvest in a new business selling dietary supplements.

The loan Yeiny received, however, was only a part of what Friendship Bridge offers to help women thrive. Each month, when it is time to make a payment on her loan, Yeiny attends a trust bank meeting where she learns from 30-minute non-formal education sessions on topics including business, money management, self-esteem, and health. Similar to adult education classes in the United States, non-formal education focuses on educating women so they can pass on what they learn to their children and other family members.

"It is important to know that in the face of all adversity, as women, we can get ahead together and respect each other,” Yeiny says.

Thanks to training offered through Friendship Bridge, Yeiny and her husband now operate a profitable bakery in Guatemala.

The Adrian Dominican Sisters have invested in Friendship Bridge since 2020, and recently refinanced and increased its investment. Such investments helped Friendship Bridge serve more than 36,000 women in 2024 with small loans paired with education and preventive health services, a program known as Microcredit Plus.

Yeiny has particularly appreciated learning about good investment and self-esteem. “The trainings have helped me a lot, both physically and mentally,” she says. “They have helped me know how to invest and make a percentage of profit and see if I can continue to invest in any other products.” 

In addition to learning how to be more responsible with money and to take care of herself, Yeiny built and furnished her own house. 

These skills carried over into other areas of Yeiny’s life as she remarried and grew her family. She and her husband now operate a bakery together, which has been very profitable. They employ three people and are continuously diversifying their services to earn more income.

“Friendship Bridge is not only about getting a loan, but it offers a lot of help, motivation, and learning,” Yeiny explains. “Thanks to God and this organization, my business is growing and my family is growing as well.”

 

Caption for feature photo at top: Through Friendship Bridge, groups of seven to 25 women from rural Guatemala borrow money together in a Trust Bank to invest in their small businesses. During Trust Bank meetings, members make loan payments and receive non-formal education sessions on topics such as money management, self-esteem, and health. 

By Katie Montes, MSW,
Executive Director of Mary’s Mantle

May 15, 2025, Detroit – Mary’s Mantle, a home for expectant mothers located in Metro Detroit, opened in 2010. It is a nonprofit organization and an apostolate of the Archdiocese of Detroit that provides housing for up to four expectant mothers at a time, regardless of religious affiliation. The women must be at least 18 years old with no other children in their care. They can stay at Mary’s Mantle for up to one year while they work on their educational, vocational, spiritual, and emotional goals.

The Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Portfolio Advisory Board (PAB) on April 3, 2025, unanimously approved a loan request for expansion of operation to first-time recipient Mary’s Mantle. 

Jackie came to Mary’s Mantle in August 2022 when she was four months pregnant. At the time, she was homeless and needed support. Jackie gave birth to her beautiful daughter Karasi (affectionally called Roz) in January 2023. She stayed at Mary’s Mantle for eight months.  

While working with her case manager, Jackie reached many goals, including maintaining her career as a pharmacy technician. The Mary’s Mantle staff faithfully provided the necessary workplace transportation so that Jackie could save money to pay off her tickets and get her license reinstated. 

As the time for her transition to more independence neared, Jackie applied for and was given financial assistance from a Mary’s Mantle fund to buy a reliable vehicle. What a precious honor it was for staff to stand in the driveway and tearfully wave goodbye to a buckled-up, ready-to-roll driver and the little girl peeking out from her car seat! 

Jackie and Roz moved out of Mary’s Mantle in April 2023. Jackie has stayed active in the After Care Program, often attending Sunday Suppers and other events to stay connected. Just last month, Jackie came to dinner and game night at the house, where she beautifully engaged with the current moms in the program. She shared her ups and downs of being in the program and provided a listening ear. What a gift to witness her giving back to the program that once supported her! 

Jackie continues to send photos and keep staff updated on how she and Roz are thriving. “Mary’s Mantle was in my corner when I needed someone to lean on the most,” she said. “I was able to achieve so many goals during my stay. Two of the main goals I was able to accomplish were getting my license back and purchasing a reliable vehicle. I am forever grateful for Mary’s Mantle and each of the staff that supported me.”
 

Caption for above feature photo: Jackie and her daughter Karasi benefited from their time at Mary’s Mantle.
Photos Courtesy of Mary’s Mantle

By Christopher Richardson
Shareholder Advocacy Manager, Mercy Investment Services

April 14, 2025, Adrian, Michigan – World Water Day, recognized annually on March 22, is a global moment of reflection and action. It reminds us that water is not just a resource. It is the sacred lifeblood of our planet and a gift that connects all life. We must protect this gift not only for ourselves but also for future generations. 

This year’s World Water Day theme, "Water for Peace," highlights how responsible stewardship of water resources can prevent conflict, promote equity, and restore harmony between communities and ecosystems.

The shareholder advocacy work supported by the Adrian Dominican Sisters Portfolio Advisory Board (PAB) is working to encourage companies to be more transparent and responsible in how they manage water use and avoid water contamination throughout their operations and in their global supply chains. 

Through programs such as the Ceres Valuing Water Finance Initiative, investors engage food, beverage, utility, and energy companies to ensure water stewardship is central to their business models. The risks associated with water – scarcity, contamination, extreme weather – aren’t just environmental. They are operational and financial, directly impacting supply chains, crop production, and worker and community well-being.

This year, we’ve expanded dialogues with companies like Ingredion, Campbell’s, and Coca-Cola to explore their progress and gaps in water stewardship.

Ingredion has made notable strides in managing its water risk. The company is conducting facility-level water risk assessments and has incorporated water reduction targets into its broader sustainability strategy. It is also integrating water stewardship into its sustainable agriculture goals for its global supply chain, particularly in high-water-use regions like Pakistan and the U.S.

Campbell’s, too, has highlighted water as a priority, although its progress is mixed. The company set a goal to reduce water usage by 20 percent by 2025 from a 2017 baseline but recently reported a 7 percent increase in use. Campbell’s has also mapped water risks at 100 percent of their manufacturing locations and is assessing climate and water risks across 24 priority raw materials. We will continue to press the company for concrete progress in managing its water use and water risk.

Coca-Cola has long prioritized water as a key risk for its business, setting a target in 2007 to replenish 100 percent of the water used in its drinks production by 2020, which it achieved five years early, in 2015. In 2024, the company announced an initiative with its African bottling companies to address water insecurity.  

The Equatorial Coca‑Cola Bottling Company set targets to improve its water-use efficiency by 20 percent and achieve 100 percent local water replenishment by 2030. Its bottling operations serve more than 160 million consumers, making these goals both impactful and essential. ECCBC is also working to align with The Coca-Cola Company’s overall "2030 Water Security Strategy" and collaborates with NGOs to improve water access and sanitation in vulnerable communities.

Our goal through shareholder advocacy is to support companies in becoming better stewards of water resources. By raising expectations, asking better questions, and pushing for more complete disclosures, we help companies prepare for a future where water will be a defining factor in resilience, cost, and reputation.

On this World Water Day, let us remember that water is not a commodity. It is a sacred thread that binds us all.

By Joshua Geary
Communications Manager, Center for Economic Opportunity

March 17, 2025, San Diego, California – For many refugees, establishing financial stability in the United States is a daunting challenge. Without a credit history, they are often deemed ineligible for loans by traditional lenders, limiting their ability to secure housing or transportation or to start a small business. Recognizing this critical need, the Adrian Dominican Sisters Portfolio Advisory Board (PAB) approved a loan request in September 2023 to support the Fresh Start Fund, an initiative of International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO).

CEO is a unique loan fund, offering small-dollar consumer, business, and credit-building loans primarily to refugees and immigrants who have resettled in the United States. CEO has expanded its work to support other low-income populations, including public housing residents and people who were formerly incarcerated.

Since 2015, CEO has provided more than 10,000 loans totaling $37.5 million, primarily benefiting refugees and immigrants with limited credit history. The repayment rate of CEO’s borrowers is above 95 percent, demonstrating the program’s effectiveness. CEO is certified by the U.S. Treasury as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Loan Fund and a Small Business Association (SBA) Microloan Intermediary.

Through the Fresh Start Fund, CEO offers loans with discounted rates to newly resettled refugees in the United States. Access to credit accelerates refugees’ economic integration, yet traditional financial institutions often label these borrowers as “subprime” due to their lack of credit history. As a result, many face extremely high interest rates or are denied financing altogether. CEO takes a different approach, assessing each applicant’s full financial picture rather than relying solely on credit scores.   

These loans are made in tandem with credit education and other asset-building services delivered by CEO’s national network of community-based partners. These organizations bring deep community ties and cultural competence, ensuring that loan recipients receive not only financial support but also guidance tailored to their unique circumstances. This “Lending as a Service” model effectively extends capital to where it is needed most.

CEO views itself as an entry point for individuals seeking fair credit and an alternative to subprime and predatory lenders and high-interest financial services. One example of CEO’s impact is visible through its auto lending. Reliable transportation significantly expands employment opportunities, allowing individuals access to jobs with higher wages and more flexible hours. CEO’s auto loan product offers an affordable pathway to car ownership without the burden of excessive interest rates – some of which can reach as high as 28 percent. 

This is made possible through CEO’s underwriting policies, which do not rely solely on credit score, but account for the whole person and their ability to repay. CEO can offer flexibility in repayment, which allows borrowers to work with CEO and protect their credit if they cannot make a payment in a given month.

With the Adrian Dominican Sisters investment, CEO is able to offer affordable loans to people who would otherwise be excluded from traditional financing. This initiative aligns with the Sisters’ long-standing commitment to economic justice and empowering marginalized communities.

Check out this YouTube video, featuring staff, partners, and borrowers from CEO explaining the impact of CEO’s zero percent credit building loans.

Feature photo at top: Victoria, owner of Victoria Barrier Solutions, a residential and commercial fence and railing business, receives loans from the Center for Economic Opportunity.

By Marilín M. Llanes, OP
Director of the Portfolio Advisory Board and Office

January 14, 2025, Fort Pierce, Florida – In October 2024 two powerful hurricanes left widespread devastation in the southeastern United States. Communities in Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and beyond were walloped by the hurricanes within a two-week span, leaving lives disrupted and lost, homes destroyed, and critical infrastructure severely damaged.

In response to the serious needs arising from these cataclysmic storms, the Solar Energy Loan Fund (SELF) has been a beacon of hope, acting swiftly to deliver relief. 

St. Lucie, Florida, in the county where SELF is headquartered, was directly affected by Hurricane Milton, which caused considerable damage to the area. Historically, SELF has offered financial assistance to residents of hurricane disaster areas with great success and impact. SELF stepped up again for the residents who needed the most assistance. Partnering with SELF, the Adrian Dominican Sisters Portfolio Advisory Board (PAB) is part of these rebuilding efforts.  

On December 3, 2024, the PAB approved a Hurricane Recovery Loan for $100,000 with a very low interest to offer home repair loans of $10,000 to the most at-risk homeowners. With these loans, homeowners can make necessary repairs and replacements to ensure that their homes are safe and sanitary and do not continue to deteriorate further. 

SELF is the first nonprofit in the country dedicated exclusively to climate equity, storm resilience, and sustainability in under-resourced and underbanked communities. SELF began its journey in 2009 as a U.S. Department of Energy pilot program in St. Lucie County, Florida, and has since expanded operations to four states – Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina – focusing on projects in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods with a default rate of less than 2 percent. Since 2013, SELF has been a lending partner with the PAB. 

We stand in solidarity with SELF in their diligence in providing hurricane relief to residents by offering low-cost loans with grace periods that allow ample time to repair their homes. Truly, SELF is a green beacon of hope in these challenging times.  
 

Caption for above feature photo: These residents, like many others, receive service from the Solar Energy Loan Fund as they deal with devastation caused by hurricanes.
Photo Courtesy of the Solar Energy Loan Fund

By Marilín Llanes, OP
Director and Portfolio Manager
Office of Portfolio Advisory Board 

The Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Portfolio Advisory Board (PAB) members on September 27, 2024, approved a loan request to first-time recipient RecycleForce.

RecycleForce operates as a double agent of change by employing individuals formerly incarcerated and reducing the amount of electronic waste flowing into landfills across the country. Founded in 2006, RecycleForce is an Indianapolis-based 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

Employees are given the opportunity, based on their training and experience, to work at all levels in the organization. Their wages provide critical support for these individuals who are navigating the process of re-entry into civil society. Additionally, RecycleForce supplies a host of wrap-around services to ensure that each participant makes a successful transition. 

RecycleForce applied for a low-interest loan from the Adrian Dominican Sisters Community Impact Investment Fund to cover the pre-development costs of a broad expansion of its plastic recycling activities. The organization plans to construct a new facility and purchase equipment, sorting line, and a pelletizer. This investment will allow the organization to recycle tons of plastic annually.  

For the past 18 years, RecycleForce has taken in computers and laptops, dismantling them and separating them into their component parts – circuit boards, processing chips, copper wiring, aluminum heat sinks, steel housing, and plastic.  

Since its inception, RecycleForce has recycled more than 100 million pounds of electronics and helped more than 3,000 formerly incarcerated individuals return home. In 2023, RecycleForce moved into its new facility after operating in subpar and temporary facilities for several years. The funding requested will be used for pre-development costs of the broad expansion of plastic recycling activities.  

RecycleForce is making a transformative impact on the lives of people navigating their re-entry into society and remediating the environmental waste crisis. 

Watch a YouTube video on the unveiling of RecycleForce’s new facility.   

 

Caption for above feature photo: Employees of RecycleForce work at recycling electronics, Styrofoam, plastics, and other materials.

October 10, 2024, Adrian, Michigan – The Adrian Dominican Sisters Portfolio Advisory Board (PAB) held its annual meeting during the last week of September and shared the fruits of that meeting in a September 27, 2024, Fireside Chat in the Weber Center Auditorium.

After the Board and staff members introduced themselves, Cynthia Crim, PAB Chair since 2022, offered an update. The Board approved five loans to community organizations. The Board’s greatest accomplishment during the meeting, however, was adopting the 2023-2028 Strategic Plan, which had been approved last year by the PAB and the General Council. “More than anything, we spent a lot of time listening to each other and really studying and making sure the plan embodied all of the Enactments,” particularly diversity, gender equity, and environmental sustainability, Cynthia reported.

Details on the Strategic Plan and on the five organizations whose loans were approved will be included in upcoming PAB articles published on the Adrian Dominican Sisters public website.

Cynthia also announced the Vision and Mission of the PAB, crafted during the meeting:

Vision
Rooted in the Vision, Mission, and Enactments of the Adrian Dominican Sisters, the Portfolio Advisory Board envisions a beloved community without poverty, hunger, homelessness, and ecological degradation. The beloved community is shaped by its collective voices and is committed to promoting racial and gender equity and systemic changes to policies and practices of institutions inhibiting its realization. Building on its collaborative strength, the beloved community is an active, healthy, and thriving space where all are welcome and have a voice.

Mission
The Mission of the Portfolio Advisory Board is to use the assets of the Adrian Dominican Sisters to build the beloved community. We invest in community organizations that create opportunities for those who are marginalized and that embody values of collaboration, inclusiveness, right relationship with Earth, and racial and gender equity. We use our voice as shareholders in corporations to promote policies and practices that build the beloved community.

Marilín Llanes, OP, PAB Director and Portfolio Manager, announced the upcoming 50th anniversary celebration of PAB, Building on Legacy, Impacting the Future, set for Friday, September 26, 2025, at Weber Center. The celebration will include a video telling the story of PAB through the voices of 13 Sisters, Associates, and lay members of the Board. Details are forthcoming.

Sister Marilín also encouraged Sisters and Associates to check out the refreshed PAB page of the Congregation’s public website, which features pictures and articles depicting the work and partners of the PAB. Articles focus alternatively on corporate responsibility efforts and community investments.

For the remainder of the Fireside Chat, Eric K. Foster, Co-Founder, Chair, and Managing Director of Rende Progress Capital, spoke of his work offering loans and other financial services to businesses owned by people of color. Rende has been part of the PAB’s portfolio since 2020, Sister Marilín said. “We were very taken by [Rende’s] whole mission and vision because it was so aligned with our values.” 

Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Rende has 47 loan customers, Eric said. Those clients “represent statistically having higher loan denials than their white peer business owners,” he explained. “In credit, they have had similar credit worthiness to white businesses, but in our landscape in Western Michigan, they cannot get a bank loan.” Of his clients, he said, 70% never received a loan before Rende took them on.

Eric emphasized the impact that loans have on the lives of the entrepreneurs of color and the people they serve. One company, Reliable Medical Transport, offers rides to vulnerable people with mobility problems for non-emergency medical appointments as well as non-medical activities. With loans, Reliable Medical Transport and other businesses have been able to expand, increase their revenue, and pay higher wages to their employees, he said. 

Eric thanked the PAB for the loan that he had received from them, enabling him in return to offer loans to entrepreneurs of color. He also encouraged them to stand strong in the face of a movement of “aggrieved white people who fought back against affirmative action,” which has persuaded some corporations to stop funding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts. Many companies are “under pressure from those who tell them that it’s wrong to promote racial justice,” Eric said. But as a 501(c)3 organization, he added, the PAB has the right to offer grants and investments to people of color and other marginalized groups. “Don’t stop it,” he said. “Don’t cave in.”

View the entire Fireside Chat below or in our public video library.

Caption for above photo: Members of the Portfolio Advisory Board (PAB) during their September 2024 meeting are, from left, Carla Manning; Mary Ellen Leciejewski, OP; Marilin Llanes, OP, Director and Portfolio Manager; Bibiana “Bless” Colasito, OP, General Council Liaison; Sidney Williams, Jr., in back; Judy Byron, OP; Kris Cooper, Office Manager; Joseph Barker II; and Cynthia Crim, Chair. Not pictured are Carmen Mora, Vice Chair, and Mary Minette, Mercy Investment Consultant.

By Cathi Kim
Senior Vice President, Inclusiv/Capital, Investments and Impact

September 12, 2024, New York, New York -- Inclusiv and the Adrian Dominican Sisters announced the Sisters’ investment in Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito Jesús Obrero (“Jesús Obrero”), a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) cooperativca advancing the economic well-being of communities in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rican cooperativas have been at the forefront of Hurricane Maria recovery efforts and initiatives to revitalize local economies across the Island. Jesús Obrero’s mission and impact focus on the economic, social, and environmental well-being of under-resourced communities and the cooperative sector. 

Jesús Obrero has developed one of the leading green lending models, providing critical infrastructure on the island by financing the installation of hundreds of solar systems for households and small businesses and supporting the creation of community micro-grids.

The Adrian Dominican Sisters Portfolio Advisory Board is the first investor to replicate the model created by Inclusiv and Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation to invest in cooperativas and their recovery and resiliency initiatives in Puerto Rico. This partnership demonstrates the strength of the Puerto Rican cooperative sector and field building efforts led by Inclusiv. This investment represents the latest impact initiative added to the 42-year partnership between Inclusiv and Adrian Dominican Sisters. 
Read more about Inclusiv’s partnership with Adrian Dominican Sisters in the 2023 Inclusiv Annual Report.

“The Adrian Dominican Sisters have been catalytic partners to the community development credit union movement, demonstrating what is possible when we lead with purpose and put communities first,” said Cathie Mahon, President and CEO of Inclusiv. “Inclusiv is grateful for the Sisters’ dedication and foresight that provided the critical capital necessary for the growth of the CDFI sector. We are delighted to expand our partnership on anti-poverty and wealth-building initiatives to include the climate resiliency and economic revitalization efforts led by cooperativas in Puerto Rico.” 

Sister Marilín M. Llanes, OP, Director of the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Portfolio Advisory Office, said, “We rejoice with our new partnership with Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito Jesús Obrero thanks to Inclusiv for facilitating the connection. A great hope in common we share is to be pathways bringing about economic opportunities for the struggling but resilient communities in Puerto Rico.” 

Aurelio Arroyo González, Executive President of Cooperativa Jesús Obrero, said the investment “allows us to continue expanding the footprint of cooperative solidarity work in our communities.” He added that since its founding in 1959, the Cooperativa has focused on developing financial products and services that strengthen members' ability to improve their conditions and quality of life and, more recently, to enhance their capacity to face the challenges brought by climate change. “This investment represents a boost to the history of community engagement of our institution, and we receive it with the commitment to continue creating opportunities for our members, communities, and the cooperative ecosystem of Puerto Rico,” he said. 

Inclusiv’s work to increase investment in cooperativas is just beginning. Thanks to trailblazing investors like the Adrian Dominican Sisters and Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation, more institutional investors are exploring opportunities to support cooperativas by working with Inclusiv to invest and place deposits in these vital institutions. The first mainland investor deposits in cooperativas are coming soon and Inclusiv looks forward to continuing to grow its capital offerings for the cooperativa sector.
 

By Sister Marilín Llanes, OP
Director and Portfolio Manager
Portfolio Advisory Board Office

Founded in 2005, Windmill Microlending opened its doors to skilled immigrants and refugees who land in Canada to rebuild their lives. The organization is committed to crafting the needed financial products and equipping clients, who don’t have established credit ratings or collateral, with the resources that promote economic mobility and equity.

The Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Portfolio Advisory Board (PAB) members on June 7, 2024, unanimously approved a loan to Windmill. 

Dr. Maria Eriksen, a Calgary-based clinical psychologist, was disheartened to learn custodial staff at the hospital where she worked were internationally trained professionals. Their credentials were not recognized and they could not practice their professions due to an array of obstacles ranging from language barriers, high licensing costs, and a limited understanding of the Canadian system. When Dr. Eriksen learned about the challenges these skilled immigrants faced, she took action steps that consequently changed the lives of thousands of new settlers across Canada.  

Windmill offers financial support with affordable, low-interest loans of up to $15,000 to pay for accreditation, training, and career development. Its mission-driven way is well aligned with the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Enactment that beckons us to “building the beloved community in which everyone is cared for, absent of poverty, hunger and hate.” 

Binal, a dentist from Mississauga, Ontario, calls her Windmill Microlending Career Success Coach, Robert, “an angel in my life,” who helped her and her family at a time when they were truly in need.

She says the Windmill loan application process was simple and responsive. Robert was there to answer questions and provide financial and career advice through the entire process, which she completed from home. 

“My Windmill loan really changed my life. I was preparing for my final exam to get my credential to become a dentist,” she said. “We were in a dire financial situation and Robert shared with me the good news.” 

Binal was on maternity leave at the time and was struggling to pay for her professional accreditation exams and no financial institution would extend her the funds needed to complete the licensing process. She had been referred to Windmill Microlending by one of her dental instructors, so Binal applied for a loan and was approved within five business days. 

Binal’s Windmill loan helped her pay for childcare while she studied as well as her exam fees. It also meant she wouldn’t need to return to long shifts at a sandwich shop. With the financial pressure relieved, Binal completed her exams and is now back working in her chosen profession, bringing smiles to her patients. 

She says her early years in a new country proved challenging but with Robert and Windmill’s support, her future is bright and her potential is unlimited.
The Windmill microlending invests in financial resilience for transformative impact in the lives of skilled immigrants and refugees across Canada.

Watch a video of Binal describing her experience with Windmill.