Maria is a microcredit client of Whole Planet Foundation’s United States partner Grameen America. Maria owns a clothing store located in an Indianapolis mall. Maria lived in California cleaning homes, but she injured her back and was no longer able to work. She visited her son in Indianapolis who told her she should sell clothes to bring her California style to the city. Maria loved this idea and started her business selling primarily women’s clothing with a specialty in dresses for Quinceniera celebrations. Before becoming a member of Grameen America, Maria took out high interest loans she used to help support the store. She worked seven days a week for two years, but her store’s monthly income only paid for the loan interest, leaving her unable to actually generate revenue from her store sales. Stuck in this cycle, Maria found microfinance through Grameen America. She is very grateful for Grameen’s affordable loans, allowing her to generate revenue from her business to pay back the full loan while also generating income for herself and her family.