Opening a bank account is an experience that many people take for granted. However, 6.5% of American households do not have a primary bank account. The importance of being able to open a bank account means having business or not having business. So for Juan to open an account for the association was a huge mile stone to overcome for Meraki Giving to be able to do business with them. Every order requires two transactions. As Fair Trade principals outline, we pay the Juan 50% of our order upfront and the rest upon arrival. Without this bank account, we would not be able to do business, regardless of how much we wanted to.