Can This Dominican Factory Pay Good Wages And Make A Profit?
Aracelis Upia Montero bounds through the front door of her wood and cinderblock house, calling out for her children. The bubbly 41-year-old Montero — whom everyone calls Kuki — proudly shows guests around her cramped single-story home in Villa Altagracia in the Dominican Republic.
Montero points out her new living room furniture. In the past couple years, she has added two bedrooms and now has indoor plumbing. She has also built a little apartment at the end of her dirt driveway that she rents out.
"I was able to save money very quickly, and I could get a loan from the bank," she says. "I'm now eligible for loans and credits from the bank because I earn a good salary."
Three years ago, she never would have imagined life could be so good. The single mother says she was desperately poor, didn't know how she was going to feed her four children and had little hope for the future.
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