Her name is Mariana Suarez. Mariana lives in Santa Elena a town in southwestern Ecuador, located on the Ecuadorian peninsula near the city of Guayaquil. Mariana is the mother of 6 children, and unfortunately her oldest daughter has recently passed away leaving her in charge of her grandson. She works since her youngest daughter was 6 years old as she separated from their dad. She worked as a maid, cleaning, cooking and washing clothes making between $5 to $8 from 8:00am to 6:00pm all so her kids can continue to move forward. She also worked as a kitchen helper making very little money but she saw an opportunity to learn to cook. Even thougth she had lost her daughter in a Motorcycle accident she still manages to stay very positive and hopeful. Knowing that with a great attitude she will be able to keep moving forward.

Once I heard her story and learned more about her, I was very motivated in helping her. Although I didn’t want to just hand her money, and let her story be done there. I really wanted to make an impact, help her out with something more. I love Business, and I believe in having your own Business. As I got to learn more about her, Mariana shared with us that she is a great cook, and she would love to do catering however she didn’t have the proper equipment for it. With the help of Team Elite (including you) we were able to buy her an industrial stove and food so she could start with her catering business. She is able to have a bigger income by catering for Weddings, Birthdays and big events in general.