Dairy business

Elijah

Kericho, Kenya

37% repaid

Entrepreneur

Name

Elijah

Member since

March 2016

On-time repayments

263 installments  •  50%

About Me

I was born in rural Kenya, Laikipia County. It was apparently on a season well known for the drought that had struck the land then - 1984. I attended primary school in the 90s, and later High School and college between 2000 & 2008. Education in Rural Kenya was not taken really seriously while I was in Primary, but just a formality. I completed college as an average student, being that the foundation I had was not up-to standard, and by then securing formal employment was not a walk in the park.
After searching for a job tirelessly, I secured a job which did not meet my expectations, and on contract basis. After the contract was over, I decided to venture into business, Agribusiness for that matter. This way, with the little savings I had, I managed to start dairy and chicken farming in my parents’ rural land. My return to the village made my mother, who was a widow already, feel secure since in my community, sons are expected to take a lead in ensuring that property as well as family affairs is well governed.
My Kids really love assisting my wife and I with farm chores. My son however loves gadgets so much, and he is an above average tech-savvy kid. Her younger sister borrows so much from him. While I would wish that they get the best education possible in the best schools, I hope to instill in them a business mind right from the onset, so that in future, they can be able to run the enterprises that my wife and I are putting up now.
When I am not held up in my routine chores, I like spending time with my family while they are available, otherwise I visit friends to learn from their undertakings as well as share knowledge with them.

My Business

I have a stock of chicken which I'm currently disposing. These chicken were meant to be layers, but apparently they have not been productive as such owing to a couple of factors. At the same time, I have one dairy cow, which has one calf. The cow has been really productive over the last few months since it calved.
Both milk and eggs are in demand in my home area and in towns surrounding us. Rearing Chicken and Dairy cows, especially having been brought up by peasant farmers, was a task I considered surmountable and expected minimal challenges from these undertakings.
Due to climate changes in the region where I operate from, grasslands which have been the common food for cattle are no longer sustainable. The cost of chicken feeds and cattle feeds from local feed outlets has skyrocketed in the recent years as well. However, with some small land to cultivate, it is cost effective to always plant feeds on the garden, though to succeed in it, a reliable source of water must be established. Alternatively, modern farming technologies such as Hydroponics must be adopted.
The proceeds I gain from my venture are largely used to support my family’s basic needs as well as paying school fees for my children’s pre-school/ Kindergarten.

Loan Proposal

I want to acquire a new loan so that I can work on some land where I want to plant hay as well as acquire one more cow.
Dairy Cow - $300.28
Land Preparation, Boma Rhodes Seeds & Planting - $53.94
Once I manage to plant hay and in the event that it grows well, I'll be assured of enough food for my cows throughout the year.

Feedback

None

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Loan Info

Project Type

Classic Loan

Disbursed amount

$460.00

Date disbursed

Nov 16, 2016

Repayment status

Late

Projected term

54 months

Other loans

Lenders

PG

Paul Graham

United States

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  • Elijah    Apr 7, 2021

    Due to the prevailing pandemic, business has really gone down and this has affected cash-flows negatively.

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  • Madesto    Feb 25, 2021

    Elijah is experiencing financial constraints but promise to pay as soon as possible

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  • Elijah    Feb 7, 2021

    Shortage of cash.

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  • Janice    Dec 22, 2020

    I have again reminded Elijah to be faithful with his loan repayments to be able to source more loans in the future from Zidisha.

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  • Janice    Oct 15, 2020

    Elijah will be able to send his payments starting this end month.

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  • Elijah    Aug 14, 2019

    Business is facing hardships.

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  • Elijah    May 25, 2019

    Business is at it's low season.

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  • Elijah    Mar 17, 2019

    I hope that in the next five weeks, I will have managed to recover from current financial straights that am currently undergoing.

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  • Elijah    Nov 1, 2018

    Inability to pay normal installment together with outstanding amounts. Thus by the time I clear outstanding amount in one month, I will raise my installment.

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  • John    Feb 19, 2018

    I was unable to talk to Elijah directly. However, I managed to talk to a family member by the names Gerald Githaiga, he promised to ask him to call me. Will follow up.

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  • John    Jan 19, 2018

    Hi Zidisha staff and lenders, today I called Elijah, the phone rung but was not picked up. I tried calling the person who introduced him to Zidisha, the community leader and other family members and friends, unfortunately non could be found on the phone. I will try again later.

    John
    VM
    Kenya.

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  • John    Dec 19, 2017

    I called Elijah, but I was unfortunate not to get to him. I went on to call the person who introduced Elijah to Zidisha by the names Fredrick Maumo, who promised to pass my message to Elijah. Will let you when I follow up.

    John
    VM
    Kenya.

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  • John    Apr 20, 2017

    Hi Zidisha staff and lenders, today I called Elijah and he explained that he has deposited 200/= towards his loan today.

    John
    VM

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  • Elijah    Dec 10, 2016

    I am apparently experiencing cash-flow shortages but in a a month's time, things will be back to normal.

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  • Elijah    Nov 14, 2016

    I want to acquire a new loan so that I can work on some land where I want to plant hay as well as acquire one more cow.
    Once I manage to plant hay and in the event that it grows well, I'll be assured of enough food for my cows throughout the year. I sincerely thank my Lenders for the kindness extended to me and my family.

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  • Elijah    Nov 10, 2016

    Apparently, I want my loan to be offset so that I can get extra funding to grow my Dairy farming Project. One of the Cows I have is due to calf in December/ January, while the other one is still producing milk though not much.
    I want to acquire a new loan so that I can work on some land where I want to plant hay as well as acquire one more cow.
    In the meantime, my investment with my prior loan is working well for me and my family.

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  • Elijah    Aug 9, 2016

    I rely much on milk sales, which have apparently gone down due to reduced output resulting from sickness of my cow.

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