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Mariluz Sifontes: Working Towards Her Dreams While Bridging Sister Communities in Peru

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Mariluz Sifontes: Working Towards Her Dreams While Bridging Sister Communities in Peru

Mariluz Sifontez; courtesy of Loop.

By Alexandra Anda

Mariluz Sifontes arrived in Peru in August 2019. She was looking for a place where she could offer a better life to her children, aged 11 and 8 years-old. In Venezuela, she was a security technician in the oil industry but, like many Venezuelans, Mariluz and her husband sold everything they had and set out on the journey to a neighboring country in search of a better life.

Upon arriving in Peru, Mariluz found a job as a seamstress, but it was not enough to cover the needs of the family. She had to find more than one job to earn enough, limiting the time she could spend with her family and for herself. It was a tough time but, as Mariluz tells us:

“Migrant women are fierce women, with vision and a lot of faith, because she goes down an unknown path with optimism. To move forward, you have to be positive."

One day, after spending a long time looking for other job opportunities, her sister-in-law told her about Loop. She had learned about the initiative through the Organization of Collaborators for the Social Assistance of Venezuelan Immigrants (OCASIVEN; for its Spanish acronym), a local NGO that provides social assistance to Venezuelan migrants and one of Loop's strategic allies.

Without a doubt, Loop’s added value is both the quality of its services and its human quality. Through the application, users who request cleaning services receive the profiles of the women members and learn about their stories and dreams, generating empathy and creating a bridge between communities. This is reflected in the comments. The Loop application allows both the women members who perform the services and the users who contract them to rate each other. So far, clients have received an average rating of 4.8 stars from the women members, which shows that the rapport between communities is taking place in a positive way.

Today, Mariluz's positivism pays off. Last month he earned $225 for performing 14 different cleaning services; which represents forty-nine hours of work. To put it in perspective, this is almost equivalent to achieving the minimum wage in Peru but for working full-time.

Loop is proud to be able to provide Venezuelan migrant women like Mariluz the opportunity to work their desired hours at a time that suits them best. In addition, the rate they earn per hour allows them to earn a good income, also giving them the opportunity to share time with their family, while they pursue other opportunities that allow them to take the steps for them to achieve their dreams.

In addition, as part of its commitment to support the members in their insertion in the country, Mariluz now has her own bank account; something she didn't have before she joined Loop. The Loop induction course includes information on how to open a bank account in Peru. Currently Mariluz and the other members receive their weekly income directly into their own account.

Today Mariluz is an exemplary Loop member: more positive than ever, kind, committed, attentive and cordial; dreaming of starting an enterprise to continue improving the quality of life of her family group.

“I am very grateful to Loop because it gives me the opportunity to work, to grow, to be part of a beautiful community of women and mainly because I can schedule my hours so that I have time to take care of my children, be with them and help them with their school work.”

More than 1000 people have already downloaded Loop in Peru and the number of services continues to increase! We invite you to download the app on your cell phone (App Store or Play Store) and visit the Loop page to be part of this community of Peruvians and Venezuelans working together to build a better country for all.

Nurianny Albino: Paving The Way for Venezuelan Migrant Women in Peru

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Nurianny Albino: Paving The Way for Venezuelan Migrant Women in Peru

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When Nurianny left Venezuela for Peru with her two girls, she wasn’t aware that she would play a part in changing the misconceptions that many have of the Venezuelan diaspora. Nurianny is a 35 years-old professional paramedic, with more than 12 years of experience in sales and customer service in Venezuela. However, the hardships of living in her home country pushed her to leave with her daughters.

She is now a member of Loop, the mobile app designed to employ Venezuelan women in cleaning services in Peru to help them jumpstart their professional lives and empower them towards achieving a brighter future in their host country, and bring people together by breaking down stereotypes one service at a time!

Loop gives Nurianny hope and has taught her the value of being proactive in building her career in her new country of residence.

“Two weeks ago I had not started using the Loop app yet, so I was not working any shifts. I realized that I needed to be more active and use it, so I started looking for [cleaning services] I could take. And it worked. Today I provided cleaning services for 7 households and was well-paid for my work. It feels good; my expectations about Loop have raised.”

About the ongoing COVID-19 situation, she shared:

“The situation worldwide is not easy because of the pandemic. But the app is working, people are trusting the app, and customers are very nice and kind.”

With the same positivity and enthusiasm, Nurianny shared how thankful she is for the opportunity to decide the terms of her own employment and career growth. Using the Loop app to take-on cleaning services shift-by-shift has allowed her to decide when and where to work.

“I feel that the Loop team cares about us, about our wellbeing, and about providing the opportunity for us to earn  a good income and own our time. In my case this is important because I have 2 girls. With a normal job I could not take care of them properly because I did not have time. Now I am working between 2 to 5 hours daily and I spend most of my free time with them.”

As part of their social integration efforts, Loop has also given her a sense of belonging to a community.

“We are all part of the same team [at Loop]. This is why when a customer asks me if I will be the one that is going to provide the cleaning service for them next time, I  answer that it does not matter who from the team takes the shift, it is going to be a professional service.”

Loop is also bringing people together. Nurianny is certain that Loop is a platform where she, along with fellow Venezuelan women, can start changing mistaken conceptions about Venezuelans in Peru.

“A customer told me that when she received my information through the app and realized I was a Venezuelan woman, her husband told her to cancel the service. But she told him that a friend of hers had recommended the app and that she wanted to give me a chance. After I finished the cleaning service for them, they both thanked me for my professionalism and told me they would continue using Loop. That makes me happy because we are changing the way people feel about Venezuelans.” 

Nurianny holds a perfect 5-star rating on the Loop app. The community supporting her is proud of her work and her determination to work hard and continue ascending in her professional life while raising two daughters.

Support Nurianny and other Venezuelan women like her by spreading the word about Loop. If you are in Peru, support the Loop family!  Download the app at the App Store or Play Store to schedule a service, and don’t forget to spread the word!

It’s fast, flexible and safe!

María Rosa Rodríguez: A Venezuelan Migrant Starting a New Life in Peru

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María Rosa Rodríguez: A Venezuelan Migrant Starting a New Life in Peru

Maria Rosa arrived in Lima a year and a half ago. She is a 44-year-old Venezuelan migrant woman, with a Master’s Degree in Education Planning and Evaluation and more than 20 years of experience as a teacher.

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Like many Venezuelan migrants in the same situation, Maria Rosa had to flee her country in search of a better life. Arriving in Peru not only meant adapting to a new social and cultural environment, but also integrating economically. Also like many Venezuelans, she arrived in a country she had never been before, without local employment references or credit history, facing additional challenges when looking for employment. This is where Loop comes in. Loop is a cleaning service app that was created with a social purpose: to employ Venezuelan migrant women with the aim to facilitate access to economic stability and integration, empowering migrant women in vulnerable situations.

Since joining Loop, not only has Maria Rosa found the opportunity to earn a living, but to be part of a family that encourages continuous learning and builds on the skills of its employees. The Loop team sees Maria Rosa as a very joyful and positive person who doesn't think twice when it comes to participating in Loop’s coaching sessions:

“I love to participate at the coaching sessions. I try to never miss them!”

According to Maria Rosa, what she appreciates the most of these sessions is that she has learned how to deal with stress and anxiety and has found the space to share with others who are in a similar situation. Loop provides personal development sessions to the women as a means to empower them, going above and beyond offering safe, vetted employment opportunities.

This initiative is also designed to be a flexible short-term employment solution for Venezuelan women like Maria Rosa to get back on their feet. Loop provides Venezuelan women with financial literacy to help them build a credit history and learn strategies to start saving. Loop also provides them references and the opportunity to decide their own terms of employment and schedules, encouraging them to pursue educational goals, training or other professional aspirations at the same time.

Thanks to initiatives like Loop, Venezuelan women have been able to find a place in their host communities where they feel valued through their work and skills. Maria Rosa, who describes herself as a responsible and honest person, is excited to share that through the Loop App, she is starting to build a client base and her customers give  her glowing reviews for "excellent service."

Learn more about Loop at www.juntosesmejor.org/ourinnovations  and www.looplimpieza.com.

If you are in Peru, support the Loop family!  Download the app at the App Store or Play Store to schedule a service, and don’t forget to spread the word!