Gym Club opens it doors in Nueva Suyapa

Mario Rosales is an example of entrepreneurship and of a person who is taking advantage of opportunities. He is currently a member of the business loan program of Christian Stewardship Ministries located in Colonia Nueva Suyapa.

About 2 years ago, Mario got a pectorals machine and installed it in a room in his house. This machine became popular with the neighbors in Nueva Suyapa and about seven people arrived daily to work out. For a year, they were working out and dreaming that someday they would have a suitable place to provide all the services for bodybuilding and working out.

A year later, around Christmastime, they decided to take the machine to the top of the Peniel Project building, located across from the bus terminal in Nueva Suyapa. Mario dreamed about one day filling that space with machines and weights. Whenever there was a group of volunteers working in that area, he would approach them to mention how it would be a good location for a gym. "It would be the perfect place to promote weightlifting as a tool to encourage youth to exercise and to provide an alternative for those at risk of getting into trouble." After a couple of conversations,  Mario was allowed to use that space, at which point he acquired two additional machines and more free weights. Every night about twenty people would come to this space to exercise.

Two months after this event, they decided to move the gym to a space on the ground floor of the same building. There Mario was able to furnish the place and provide a better service to the community with the help of a loan from the income generation program of MCM.

He has now been operating there for 16 months and has a membership of about 100 people, 40% of whom are women. Seeing this dream fulfilled has led Mario to other business ideas that he has been implementing, such as selling smoothies and energy drinks, a café, and a small business selling broiled chicken, which he would like to replicate in the neighborhood.

Mario has attended several business trainings offered by MCM, together with its affiliate from Pella and the Honduras National Autonomous University. Through the training, he was able to implement what he learned to grow his business.

Mario is part of the network of Stewardship Christian Ministries (MCM), a Local Community Institution that Partners Worldwide serves.

One of the members of Gym Club.

Left to right: Professor Hadley Mitchell from Taylor University, Debbie Velis (PW),
Mario Rosales dad, and gym members.

Mario Rosales broiling chicken right next to his gym location.