“Making Money Work: microcredit, commerce and social regulation in Paraguay’s tri-border

area”Caroline E Schuster

University of Chicago, Department of Anthropology

Ciudad del Este, Paraguay

Puerto Presidente Stroessner, founded 1957

Friendship Bridge between Paraguay and Brazil

Founded in 1985, but only a branch office in Ciudad del Este since 2005

On the bustling commercial street of “Ave. Bernardino Caballero” next to Banco Familiar (a savings and loan), Visión Microfinance, and two credit cooperatives.

Many of the surrounding home appliance and motobike stores sell on credit; monthly quota payments

Fundación Paraguaya

Downtown “microcenter”

“Kilometer 11” outside of downtown

“Kilometer 8” outside of downtown

“Kilometer 7” Don Bosco Neighborhood

Cycles of PaymentThis is an “Informconf” credit report that

shows continuous borrowing from Fundación Paraguaya since 2007 over the

course of 5 loans