Client of ACCION partner Banco Compartamos. Regardless of when one arrives in the small town of San Salvador Huixcolotla in the Mexican state of Puebla, it feels like a fiesta in full swing. Brightly colored flags made of the famed papel picado, or perforated paper, adorn the buildings and hang over the streets.

Like many establishments in town, Doña Evangelina’s tortilla business sits beneath a canopy of papel picado.Tucked in a corner of the town plaza, she heats the flat, round bread on a steaming grill and takes orders from customers standing in line. On the table next to her sit a few bottled sodas, small bowls of chicken and meat toppings, tomatoes, cactus flowers and salsas. Several local workers relax nearby, chatting.

“My mother worked in this plaza,” recalls Doña Evangelina. “She always told me that it didn’t matter how small or simple my stand was, as long as it was mine.” A single mother who began working at age 10, Doña Evangelina sells tortillas to support her 14-year-old daughter, sending her to school so that she can pursue opportunities her family never had.

Doña Evangelina recently suffered a severe burn on her hand and missed several months of work – a reminder of the vulnerabilty of one’s livelihood. Even though she’s been working for 10 years in this same plaza, she lost a few clients and is working hard to reestablish her business. In the past few years, she has received six small loans from ACCION partner Compartamos, which have helped her buy fruits and vegetables to prepare and sell. “I feel good about what I’ve achieved through this business,” she says. And so she should. She proudly states that she has never missed a payment and looks forward to purchasing a small refrigerator and additional tables with her next loan.