Anayanci Is a More Secure, Stronger, More Independent Woman
Thrifting — buying or selling secondhand clothes and items — is rising in popularity, and not just in the United States. Social media is full of thrift hauls, creative thrift finds, and ideas for repurposing secondhand items.
When it came time for Anayanci to choose the kind of business she wanted to start after going through Convoy of Hope’s Women’s Empowerment program in El Salvador, she chose selling secondhand clothes. She buys a bale of used clothing, sorts them, washes them, then sells them to her community. And to no one’s surprise, her business is thriving.
In Women’s Empowerment, women learn how to start and run their own businesses, save and invest their profit, provide for their families, and support their communities. Anayanci took the skills she learned in the program and created a profitable, thriving business that supports her family, stimulates the local economy, and bolsters her confidence and independence.
And while many of the benefits are intangible, Anayanci is reaping the rewards of her hard work. In the past, she and her husband would have had to use credit or save for years to buy household furniture or appliances. But just recently, she paid for a brand new refrigerator herself with money from her thrifting business!
“I managed to buy something that I saw as very far away,” said Anayanci. “You don’t know the satisfaction and joy I feel. And how proud my husband and son are of me.”
It’s a beautiful thing to help a woman or girl find her sense of agency and witness the moment she realizes that her environment can be changed — and that she has what it takes to change it.
Poverty and hunger are not things that can be solved instantly or with one technique. But Convoy believes — and has seen — that empowering women and girls to advocate for themselves creates opportunities that last for generations.
“I feel inspired to continue reaching my goals,” Anayanci said. “I feel prepared. I feel like a full, more secure, stronger, more independent woman.”
