Chita Yalong, Fish Trader and Vendor: Profile of a Microentrepreneur

This document tells the story of Chita Yalong, a fish dealer and vendor from Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro. The document describes:

• A typical market day for Chita;
• Her start in the business of selling fish, while she was in first grade;
• The early end of her formal education;
• The first few years of her marriage to Juanito;
• The family's income generating activity of selling fish.

The document then profiles:

• Chita's income and capital growth, describing her experiences in partnerships, as a money lender and fishermen-contractor, as an employer and as a risk-taker;
• Chita's loans, savings, risks and returns, stating that:
  • CARD gave her loans five times - these were collateral free;
  • Apart from compulsory savings with CARD, Chita also had savings accounts elsewhere;
  • The supply of fish increased or decreased according to the season and as a creditor-trader, Chita had to deal with that.
• Progress in the fishermen's lives;
• Related income generating activities (IGA) that Chita undertook such as the selling dried fish and processed fish, ice trading and the selling coco vinegar.

The document states that:

• Chita's main motivation for working hard was to ensure a better future for her children;
• Chita's children went to college and also helped her in the business;
• As Chita's business grew, the family enjoyed a better standard of living, but stuck to frugal values.

The document concludes with words of advice from Chita.