“I want that my workshop grows”

A difficult beginning,

His story started 30 years ago when

he had to migrate alone from

Andahuaylas (Apurímac, Perú) to

Lima, looking for better living

conditions. In the capital, Justiniano

stayed at his cousins' house and

worked selling candies and ice

creams, among other kind of

activities as means of subsistence.

He met his wife in Lima and had

three children: Oscar (23), Hilda

(22) and Alexander (4).

Years later, he realized that the

eventual jobs which he was

involved were not going to improve

his life. As a result, he decided to

study dressmaking in a local institute

and then after a while, encouraged

by his wife, he established a small

workshop at his house in Huaycán,

Lima. By that time, he only had a

domestic sewing machine which

used as a working tool. “I was born

to do this, I liked to be a

dressmaker”, he says.

For Justiniano, the adventure of

having his own business had as

major protagonists: his own family.

His wife and children were his right

arm, they helped him to elaborate

the moulds, cut the fabrics and

perform the quality control for each

undergarment. At the beginning, the

production of lingerie was limited;

therefore, he made a profit of S/.

100.00 per month ($ 35.00). “What

we earned was not enough even to

eat”, he adds.

Business emerges slowly

Little by little, his business was

improving and Justiniano could hire

his first employee. Thus the monthly

production of lingerie increased.

Justiniano started selling his

merchandise in some garment

stores located in Gamarra, one of

most important Commercial Center

of Lima. For him, this meant a big

step because from a small lingerie

producer, he became a wholesale

supplier.

“I was afraid of taking

money out from a bank; I

would prefer to advance

little by little”

In these circumstances, Justiniano

realized that it was time to apply for

a loan from a bank in order to get

some money to buy more

merchandise, sewing machines,

and hire another employee.

“For the future, I hope to get more industrial sewing m a c h i n e s a n d m o r e personnel. I want that my workshop grows”.

However, he had some doubts about

the scope of his business and he

wondered if the money that he earned

in that moment would be enough to

pay the loan. “I was afraid of taking

money out from a bank; I would prefer

to advance little by little”.

The training that he needed

It was then when Justiniano heard

about the Family Life Project, an

initiative of Agape Association which

search for the improvement of the

family relationships at home and the

business establishment. He and his

wife attended a local church of

Huaycán (East of Lima) and they were

invited to participle on the Project

workshops which were performed

once a week for free, thanks to the

recommendation of their pastor.

On the workshops they learned how

to apply for a loan from a bank, how to

save and invest their money, how to

make a business plan, among other

topics related to finances. They also

learned about the proper treatment at

home. In addition, his wife received

training about weaving crochet,

cuisine, chocolates, etc. They

recognize that the topics taught on the

workshops encouraged them to start

work.

Justiniano had also the opportunity

to study a majoring course of

dressmaking at the “La Cantuta”

Enrique Guzmán y Valle National

University (Lima) thanks to an

a g r e e m e n t b e t w e e n A g a p e

Association and the University.

During two months, he learned

about market access, auditing,

finished garments, among others.

With this knowledge, Justiniano felt

more secure about the potential of

his business and decided to extend

his monthly production of lingerie

and hire more employees.

According to Justiniano, his goal at

that moment was to take advantage

of every end of the year when the

demand of this type of garment

increased on the local market. The

result was positive: the sales

increased and he got a profit 4 times

higher than previous months.

Future Prospects

Recently, Justiniano received a loan

of S/. 350.00 (almost $ 100.00).

With this money he could buy

merchandise for his business. This

money was obtained from a

microcredit Program of Agape

Association, as part of the second

phase of the project. He says that

unlike the previous years, he feels

secure that he is going to pay

according to the payment schedule.

“I have already returned half of the

money”.

Justiniano wishes that Yomaira

Fashion, Tu línea íntima (trademark

and slogan of the product) be known

among the sellers and buyers of

Gamarra. In order to get that, he

needs more money to buy sewing

machines and materials which

allows him to produce on a large

scale. He is optimistic about his

business future: “For the future, I

hope to get more industrial sewing

machines and more personnel. I

want that my workshop grows”.

Justiniano Quispe has a lingerie

workshop at home, and has three

employees that work along with him

from Monday to Saturday.

Justiniano Quispe

has rece ived a

microcredit of S/.

350.00 from Agape

Association.