cperkins    Jun 24, 2011

Hi, my name is Clarissa and I'm the Communications Associate for Zidisha.

I talked to Fama recently and she said that her daughter is sick which makes it hard to go the local cyber cafe. The unpredictable "coupures," or power cuts, are daily and regularly last between four and eight hours, which also makes it hard to plan when to go to the cafe! The good news is that her business is doing well. She is excited that her loan is almost finished and is contemplating taking out a second.

Fama    Oct 1, 2010

Hello lenders, I hope you are all doing well.
The day after the Korite, there was a lot of rain in our neighborhood and our veranda was full of water. I had to buy sand, cement and hire workers to fix the house. Now, the house is doing much better and we can work there and even hold our meetings.

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bonjour les bailleurs, j espere que vous allez bien. le lendemain de la korite il y avait beaucoup de pluie dans notre quartier et notre veranda etait pleine d eau je suis oblige d acheter du sable du ciment plus la main d oeuvre. maintenent la maison va mieux et on peut travailler a la maison et meme faire notre reunion

smonroe    Sep 6, 2010

This morning I visited Fama Gaye's house and met her partners at the association she runs. I also had the opportunity to watch Fama manage her association and make errands around the neighborhood. Below are photos of Fama managing, discussing and dispersing funds with one of her partners. We also met up with Abdulrahman, one of her main retailers. Finally, we visited her association's temporary headquarters, locate in her neighbor's courtyard because Fama's is flooded.

Fama    Sep 6, 2010

Every year we endure flooding. Steve and I had to enter the house through the window because the front door is flooded.

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chaque annee nous vivons dans des situations comme ca steve et moi nous somme passe dans la fenetre pour faire acces chez moi.parceque la porte principale a eu beaucoup d eau.

Fama    Sep 6, 2010

hello,
I am really very happy for what you have loaned to me because you have seen my situation. You have done a lot for me and I hope my business goes farther, one day owning a large store to get out of these difficult times. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. May God protect you and give you a long life, health of iron and that you achieve prosperity.

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salut je suis vraiment tres contente de ce que vous m avez prete puisque vous avez vu ma sutuation.vous avez fait beaucoup d effort pour moi je souaiterai moi aussi que mon entrepeise aille plus loin.d avoir une grande magasin pour sortir dans les situation difficile.je vous remrecie au fond du coeur que dieu vous protege et vous donne une longue vie une sante de fer et de prosperite amene.

smonroe    Aug 11, 2010

Even with Ramadan beginning tomorrow, Fama Gaye still found time to stop by the office this morning and talk about her business and the association she chairs.

Business Plan

As president of a woman’s association, Fama Gaye is the first Zidisha client to solicit a loan for an entire group. Put simply, Fama’s association mirrors a food bank. Customers from across the neighborhood meet at Fama’s house on the 5th of each month to order indispensable goods like powered milk, cooking oil or rice. Later that evening, Fama and her associates, with the help of a horse drawn chariot, buy these goods from retailers. They save money by buying in bulk. The following morning, Fama delivers these products to her customers, with the expectation that she will be paid back, with interest, on the following 5th of the next month. Fama chose the 5th strategically because most Senegalese receive their monthly salaries on the 1st of every month.
Fama and three friends founded the association in 2002 to help many of their neighbors face the burdens of living in Dakar’s Medina Gonass suburb. Floods plague her neighborhood (see photos of her living room below) and many of the residents there simply don’t have the means or access to basic goods. Fama Gaye’s association serves to collect these goods and resell them to her neighbors through more affordable transactions. Thus despite operating in one of Dakar’s poorest suburbs, and lacking the means to effectively store goods, the association has provided Fama’s neighborhood with access to these indispensable goods since 2002.
This eight-year existence testifies to Fama Gaye’s management and leadership abilities as president. Fama foresaw the potential and need for her association in Medina Gonass. When asked whether her neighbors found it odd that a woman would start an association and lead a business, she replied “absolutely not”. In fact, many of the neighborhood’s men, her husband included, were very supportive of this endeavor. As president, Fama insures that her association always has enough liquidity to buy products by tightly bargaining and regulating spending, and by making sure that a flat sum of their profits is placed in the association’s fund. Fama Gaye can also be firm when necessary. If customers are unable to pay on time, they are fined and deprived of her association’s services the debt is paid off. Once all costs and fines are paid, Fame and her three associates divide their profits equally.


Use of Loan

Like many other Zidisha clients, Fama’s business promotes her community’s well being while remaining profitable, and thus self-sustaining. Fama will use Zidisha’s loan to expand operations and provide her services of greater access to basic goods to more customers throughout her neighborhood. On a personal note, Fama will use the profits derived from this loan to support her siblings and reinforce her house against flooding.

smonroe    Aug 5, 2010

Fama forwarded me these photos of her house after flooding last year.

Fama    Aug 4, 2010

I am living under difficult conditions. My mother passed away in April of 2001 and my dad died in 1996. I live with my 2 brothers and four sisters. I have a daughter and a son. These last three years (2007 - 2008 - 2009) we've been living precariously. Our house is perpetually prone to flooding. I don't yet have the means to stop the flooding. With Zidisha's loan, I will earn enough money to build up our house.

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Je vis dans des situations dificile, je suis orpheline de pere et de mere. Ma mere est decedee depuis Avril 2001. Et mon pere depuis 1996. Je vis avec mes deux freres et quatres soeurs. J’ai une fille et un garcon. C’est trios derniers annees (2007 – 2008 – 2009), nous vivons dans des situations precaires. Notre maison a ete invahi par des eaux fluvial. J’ai pas les moyen de la transformer. Avec ce prêt de Zidisha, je gagnerai assez d’argent pour construire notre maison.

Fama    Aug 4, 2010

Hi, my name is Fama Gaya and I'm very happy to see this site Zidisha. He really taught me how to use the site. I will pay back the loan, inchallah (good willing), allah al akbar (god is great).

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Salut je m'appelle fama gaye je suis tres contente de voir votre site Zidisha!il m'a beaucoup appris de manipuler l'ordinateur. Je souhaite de rembourser le pret, inchallah, allah al akbar.