For my son's education

Lucas

Gesonso, Kisii, Kenya

100% repaid

Entrepreneur

Name

Lucas

Member since

December 2015

On-time repayments

227 installments  •  78%

About Me

I was born in one of the poorest and violent "hoods" of Thika. Second born in a family of Six brothers and sisters, it was not easy growing up. Many days we went without food, but mama was determined to send us all to school. Her belief was that at least with a high school education, we could get by, and be ready for the job market. I got good grades in high school, and I could see myself in Uni. However, this was not to be.

Mama had to make a tough choice. My elder brother had wanted to go to college or trade school, but that did not happen because I had to be put through high school. So when it was my time, I had hoped that a miracle would happen and that all would be better. The truth is nothing got better. I too had to make room for my siblings to be educated. The entire amount I would need for one semester of University was enough to put my siblings through two years of schooling.

In desperation and a desire to help out, I started taking odd jobs here and there, ending up at the factory gates of the Industrial section of the district. In between providing a supplementary income to the family and trying to push myself ahead, I was inwardly suffering and languishing. Here I was, with good high school grades, jostling for position to carry heavy boxes around and other menial jobs with people who would transform to robbers at night, and muggers.

I wanted more, and so one day while at the gates begging to be taken in for a days casual job, I felt hopeless and lost. On my way home, having failed to secure a job for the day, I decided I had had enough. I never went back to the factories again. Instead, I sought solace in the only place that had meaning to me; a district library about four kilometers form where we lived.

This led to conflicts at home, and several months later, with my younger brother through with high school, I was technically ostracized from the family. I was not providing, and had no business eating or sleeping in that house.

I moved out and started applying some skills I had taught myself repairing electronics. It was the dawn of the mobile phone revolution, and I became a repairer for hire. This was also the time that I converted to Christianity.

Shortly thereafter I married and settled, but still felt I needed more. Over time, I managed to put myself through Uni, graduating in Dec. 2015. I am on course to completing a Masters degree sometimes in late 2016, or mid 2017.

UPDATE:
(I completed my MA in late 2018, and graduated in 2019!)

My Business

Every venture has its learning and growing curve. Raising poultry got me out of a comfort zone that I was living in ignorantly. I have had to go through the whole cycle of raising chickens from hatchery to market. It is tedious, but done right it is rewarding. But so is the mining of the most precious metal on earth, platinum.

Through the loans, I have managed to do the chicken business differently. I have bought chicks, have had my chicken hatch chicks, have burnt my fingers in lost stock due to diseases, and have enjoyed profits that have gone a long way to achieve my goal; education for my family.

As before, I am opting to leave my previous write-ups so you can have a background of my business.

Please do read, and let my story and previous writing on "My Business" add to what I have briefly written.

________________________________

I am presently engaged in raising chicken. Not much has changed from the below writeups in terms of what I do. I did use the third loan to manage feeding and some more modifications in the chicken coop. I can report that I have reached that point where I can now shift focus to hatching eggs and selling month old chicks to farmers and other growers.

˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜

I used the second loan to increase my current stock levels and to make improvements in the chicken coop. Of the 100 more chicks I procured, I lost some to an unknown cause. They just kept dying. I suspect that my supplier might have got me "tired" chicks. A neighbor's dog also took advantage over the period I was making improvements and I lost six birds in one night.

I also was able to find ways of bringing down the feed costs, by mixing several ingredients and milling them together. The chicken seemed to like it! The birds have started laying too, which is good because with time I can start selling eggs and the live chicken.

Currently I have about two hundred birds, all in different stages of growth. nine birds, and the parent stock has started laying fertilized eggs. I am applying for this third loan to be able to increase my stock levels and to make even more improvements in the chicken coop to be able to house the birds. Below, again, is my earliest write up of the business.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Early 2015, I started making plans for going into agri business. I saw potential in the chicken business, and made investment towards it. I built a standard chicken coop that can house between three hundred and five hundred birds.

The reason for going into chicken is because I realized that the farmers in Kisii cannot satisfy the existing demand for chicken and eggs. Eggs are being imported from Uganda. Also, the retail prices of the eggs and chicken are higher than in other areas.

I currently have twenty two birds, with an additional fifty on the way. It is a hardy breed that will require less input with a higher return on investment. I am seeking a loan to increase the number of birds to a number that can sustain itself, with my aim being my own hatchery. This will reduce my costs of production per bird by almost thirty percent (30%). With increased profits, I can manage to increase the stock of the birds and construct another coop.

I am aiming to be the person people come to when they want affordable chicken in Kisii. To achieve this, I am seeking someone, or people who will see beyond the cry for self preservation and into the desire to break free of the poverty cycle, not just for myself, but others too, by providing them with affordable food sources; someone or people to lend me a hand and see this vision come true.

Loan Proposal

As I write this, we had to de-stock our 2020 poultry farming business because of the uncertainty of what is happening all over the world. This was a mistake, because as industries shut and corporates close shop, the one constant is that people still need food.

My son completed high school, and the poultry project is deeply entrenched in his mind after he saw how it was instrumental in supporting him through his education. He has been admitted to college, and he is confident that he has what it takes to grow the business. He wants to study agriculture and agricultural economics, and will be using our poultry project as his foundation for his education.

As a parent, it is encouraging to see that he is more than willing to take up the challenge of the project and own it, something which I gladly welcome. It is my hope that through this loan, we can re-stock, and go back to producing our own feed, and thought the proceeds, finance his college education.

Income Source

Food is a primary given constant. Even in the face of hardships and a slumped economic growth, people still need to feed. There is need for readily accessible food. We aim for eggs and poultry meat, and there is no doubt that since food is not a luxury, we should be able to forge ahead.

Feedback

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Loan Info

Project Type

Classic Loan

Disbursed amount

$847.00

Date disbursed

Jun 17, 2020

Repayment status

On Time

Projected term

6 months

Lenders

A

Anninymouse

Southampton, United Kingdom

C

CWS

Huntington beach, ca, United States

G

GalantnostS

Hong Kong, Hong Kong

H

Heja

Hamburg, Germany

C

Christian

Saarbruecken, Germany

Ron

United States

R

Raabo

Rungsted, Denmark

investor

Candiac, Canada

G

glosoli

Boston, United States

PaulE

Cockeysville, MD, United States

AdamP

Sunnyvale, United States

Umair Mahmood

Raleigh, United States

cyrus0302

San Francisco, United States

AltruisticSelfishnes

Chicago, United States

S

Simmo

Sydney, Australia

lietu

Tallinn, Estonia

DeanDropshot

Oslo, Norway

daibhmac

Luton, United Kingdom

aarongabrielson

Heber City, United States

Charmonica

London, United Kingdom

J

JBosshardt

Redmond, United States

ninamaqami

Ankara, Turkey

F

Forba

Mo i Rana, Norway

evinpa

United States

Kjartan

Oslo, Norway

Raoul72

Naarden, Netherlands

L

ldron7

Utah, United States

Martin

Manama, Bahrain

F

FaaThailand

Bangkok, Thailand

R

rcmssr

Woodbury, United States

T

Tallago3

Munich, Germany

A

Aloha

Cologne, Germany

Pere

Barcelona, Spain

AF

a f

washington, United States

johnandmoliehi

Canton, New York, United States

S

Steveandson

Arlington, United States

MakeSense

-, St. Kitts and Nevis

DaveinPerth

Perth, Australia

E

eljama

Chapel Hill, United States

Aggul

London, United Kingdom

andreas

Katsdorf, Austria

A

AlexCheng

Seattle, United States

L

LiquidH

Elmhurst, United States

G D Export

Kolkata, India

B

Bavarian

Bavaria, Germany

B

Becks

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

F

fisaire

Ithaca, United States

tasos

hove, United Kingdom

indeh

London, United Kingdom

J

Jaslogic

Castle Rock, United States

J

JoycaLeplae

Gent, Belgium

L

Lenah

Vert Saint Denis, France

SeeMeeFi

Ontario, Canada

Erica

Caledon, Canada

kickerofelves

Sao Paulo, Brazil

G

glomardor

Leonardtown, United States

Cloudways

Malta, Malta

J

jzidi

Los Angeles, United States

C

Colesmiths

Sevenoaks, United Kingdom

mossuto

Milano, Italy

A

Austrian

Graz, Austria

P

PhilACK

Brampton, Canada

B

bugsheep

Houston, United States

Paul and Rachel

London, United Kingdom

S

SvenWaage

Stavanger, Norway

Namaste250

Pittsford, United States

southcentral

Zürich, Switzerland

L

loistf

Madrid, Spain

peanut

Halifax, Canada

K

Katehar

Maple Valley, WA, United States

W

williamjacobs

Olney, MD, United States

K

katykoo

New York, NY, United States

S

seatea1967

Madison, United States

T

ThomasGermany

Wuppertal, Germany

Christopher

Copenhagen, Denmark

B

Bluejay

Magrath, Canada

P

Peksa

Espoo, Finland

Vintagebeeinc

Youngsville NC, United States

M

mkellerman

Shanghai, China

J

JayZKay

New York, United States

A

Andy

Berlin, United States

nakamura

United States

sarna

Toronto, Canada

G

glh25

Winooski, United States

fairspirit

Utrecht, Netherlands

S

solarkismet

Logan, United States

J

Johannes

Pirmasens, Germany

Patrick

Berlin, Germany

JTShorty

Gorham, Maine, United States

BF

Bob Fitzjohn

Fontvielle, Monaco, Yemen

K

kjustad

Asker, Norway

indrayudha

Jakarta, Indonesia

D

Don100

Wilton, United States

M

Moonknight

Østre Gausdal, Norway

C

Colmena

Chicago, United States

paulclinton

malaga, Spain

Hedwich

Gorssel, Netherlands

H

hokyplyr

Lincoln, United States

A

AndrewC

London, United Kingdom

mojobob

Hayward, United States

P

Pavane

Kungsbacka, Sweden

R

run426

DeBary, United States

E

Ekevu

Zürich, Switzerland

O

Ohio

Ohio, United States

Lambie

Perth, Australia

soniad

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

D

Dutch_lender

Leiderdorp, Netherlands

tonnyschonewille

Maastricht, Netherlands

ibc123

Seattle, United States

xtrahardware

Cazenovia, United States

M

Mountainmanduy

San Jose, United States

TuveTheDog

Helsinki, Finland

markpearson

Portsmouth, United Kingdom

HealthcareProvider

Baltimore, United States

E

E

Marin county, United States

Parkmobile

Fort Bragg, United States

H

happytrailsjpd

South Bend, United States

H

Haavard

Bergen, Norway

mikeice

Kohler, United States

Namulanda

nairobi, Kenya

I

ImSirFing

United States

S

Smadori0

United States

D

Dianatalk

Netherlands

sderickson

Berkeley, CA, United States

D

dajja

Stockholm, Sweden

J

janakan

Hong Kong, Hong Kong

D

drorm

United States

MalcolmL

San Francisco, United States

GiselleF

United Kingdom

J

Jonas

Linköping, Sweden

L

lenders

United States

X

xavier

Toronto, Canada

N

NOWfund

Tokyo, Japan

bb4dogs

United States

M

maverick

United States

J

Jrung

United States

R

RosieWatrs

United States

S

sarah4d2

Saint Louis, United States

A

ajayhk

San Jose, United States

Agerfar

Aarhus, Denmark

mepster

San Francisco, Ca, United States

R

RonEddy

United States

B

bscent

Hong Kong

Lisbeth

Perth, Australia

W

wesbh89

United States

H

hixeu

Belgium

Grant Xavier Storer

Seattle, Wa, United States

ThomasJosef

Berlin, Germany

S

sarahb

United States

Hoops

United States

Betapilot

Copenhagen, Denmark

M

Medagan

San Franciso, United States

K

kennychit

United States

K

KiraDee

United States

Jamal Hamou

Cascadia, Canada

S

satheajay

United States

C

ColoradoSkier

Denver, United States

SV

sven vdk

Twickenham, United Kingdom

S

StefanB

Stockholm, Sweden

T

Tony1

Australia

S

Symoneous

Netherlands

R

ross22

United States

S

SuzanneD

United States

Mike and Jacqui

United Kingdom

S

Stephan

Netherlands

JL

Joao Leal

United Kingdom

Jansa

Oulu, Finland

J

Joe

United States

S

Sven

Netherlands

Matthias

Frankfurt Am Main, Germany

Jeroen Decock

Gent, Belgium

Dave Bogard

New York, United States

MF

Martin Fisher

United States

Villa Maria Outliers

Montreal, Canada

AA

Adam Atlas

Montreal, QC, Canada, Canada

Robert

Sweden

R

Robert

Berlin, Germany

S

Stephanie

United Kingdom

SMOICE

Berlin, Germany

Benni

Stuttgart, Germany

Jake Badger

Roskilde, Denmark

MB

michael breen

United Kingdom

Kristina Speed

Seattle, WA, United States

Kate Courteau

United States

B

Beth

United States

Lou Kaucic

Sanbornton, NH, United States

E

erica

antwerpen, Belgium

CN

Cyprien Noel

United States

T

thedan33

Czech Republic

Kristin Rhodes

Kansas City, Kansas, United States

moursund

Beaver Nation, United States

Julia

United States

Kevin

San Francisco, United States

JC

JD Conley

United States

I

Ian

United Kingdom

BS

Bruno Silva

United States

TS

Ted Suzman

United States

EB

Erica Brescia

United States

Jennifer Weber

Canandaigua, Ny, United States

Mouhamed

United States

MG

Meron Gribetz

United States

C

cota

United States

JD

Jeff DePree

United States

Z

zaroastra

somewhere over the rainbow, Portugal

ME

Manaal Eisa

Washington DC, United States

PT

Paul T

Amsterdam, Netherlands

RM

Robert Mulley

United States

TH

tom hd

United Kingdom

Carla

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Andri K

Baden, Switzerland, Switzerland

Pedro R-C

Cambridge, United States

F

Frits

Rotterdam, Netherlands

Mark Grey

Redding, CT, United States

AH

ajay hampapur

United States

N

Nick

United States

Aran Dunlop

United States

roark22

Geneva, Switzerland

Vratik Krocik

Prague, Czech Republic

JH

Joseph Hwang

Houston, United States

M

Mary

United States

DD

Dixie Davis

Kyle, United States

Ask Lucas a question about this project, share news and photos of your own, or send a simple note of thanks or inspiration.

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