Borrower Spotlight: Mirna Soriano | El Salvador

Working Capital for Community Needs
Feb 6
1 min read

When we met Mirna, she was carefully disinfecting the chicken coop. The last batch of just over 100 chickens had been sold the week before, and she was preparing the space for the next cycle. “You have to give it a full week to clean everything,” she explained. “That way, the new chicks stay healthy and grow strong.”

Though she only started raising chickens six months ago, Mirna’s connection to animals and the land runs much deeper. For years, she and her husband worked with cattle. Today, they have split responsibilities. He manages the livestock, and she runs the growing poultry business, including handmade feeders her husband crafted after watching a YouTube tutorial.

Every seven weeks, Mirna raises 100 chickens from tiny chicks to full-grown birds weighing six to seven pounds. She closely tracks their growth to ensure they develop well. Once ready, she sells them by the pound to local shopkeepers and neighbors.

Mirna in her backyard, where she runs her small poultry farm.

To get started, Mirna took out a $900 microloan from COOPHEL, one of WCCN's local partners in El Salvador. The funds helped her start the business and buy a motorcycle to manage deliveries in town.

But it is not just the financial support she values. She also uses COOPHEL’s mobile health clinic, which delivers essential care to borrowers in remote areas. This time, she brought her daughter, Leilani, for a checkup. “It’s a blessing,” she said.