Lydia

Nakuru, Kenya

100% repaid

Entrepreneur

Name

Lydia

Member since

January 2013

On-time repayments

71 installments  •  10%

About Me

I am a single lady aged 35 year old by the name Lydia Gathigia ,I was born on year 1976 at Rift valley provice Nakuru Disrtict in Maji Tamu location in Kenya.I join my primary education until class eight and completed in year 1994 were I got my primary education certificate in the year 1995,after completing my primary education I joined a secondary school at St francis secondary school at Subukia near Jordan polytechnic in year 1995 and completed in year 1999, Later I join Motorsori teacher training collage in year 2003, after that we migrated from Maji to Wiyumiririe farm after 2002 general election due to tribal ethinic, after that I was blessed with one kid by the name Hannah wangari who is name after my mother, after that I migrated to Nyahururu and while I was there I decided to rent a house for timber yard after two year I was able to raise some money for me to start a business of a pre unit school at subukia center and I employed another teacher who we use to assist me, after two year, due to lack of fund I was not able to manage the school, I decided to move back home where I started mixed farming.I joined Wadungu’s self help group where I have been a member till now, I was able to raise money enough for me to buy a plot (plot number 466) Kimboronjo at a price of ksh70000, where i live in Kimboronjo trading shopping center which is approximately 21km from Subukia town which is our nearest town. Subukia town is our nearest major town within this area. The shopping center is also 2km from s.t francis sec school, where we pass as we move to and from Subukia. I am single and born again Christian and a follower of Catholic Church of Kenya which is within our locality at Kimboronjo, After been exposed to the area I decided to start my own business and rented a piece of land (half an acre) of which I will be producing my own farm product such as milk and other farm produce and sell within our area and its environs. I live in plot number 466 at the shopping center where I carry out my business of selling the product I get from my piece of land and my animals. My business includes selling milk, eggs and other vegetable like sukumawiki.

My Business

My business is mixed farming
My business includes mixed farming,especially in zero grazing I also deal in selling of milk, eggs and planting of tomatoes and green vegetable eg sukumawiki cabbages ,carrot and maize, my business entail renting of shambas near river bank at Kimboronjo village where by many people here usually rent shambas near the river which is well known at our place for production of this product especially milk, tomatoes, where by usually rely on the river in watering their plantation using pumping machine by connecting pipes from the river up to your shamba . I decided to start the business of mixed farming after realize there is a ready market for this product especially milk, tomatoes and vegetable because the place is well know in Rift valley in producing tomatoes and distributing in various part of our country and there is no season for planting tomatoes even in dry season because we always rely on the river subukia in watering tomatoes and other vegetable and the river is ever with water and have so many small river all of them joining to river subukia thus giving us chance to cultivate and plant all season after season and the place is fertile. The businesses capture 80 percent of the market share in our area and in Subukia in general due availability of many rives thus making our place famous in producing tomatoes, also the business is expected to grow due to the ready market of the product especially for tomatoes because many people from far town such as from Nakuru ,Eldoret and other big town come to buy tomatoes at this area and the mean of transport is available and the climate is favorable They is a lot of demand of the product such as tomatoes, vegetable and maize and fresh vegetable, also so many people here rely on this variety for livelihood because they buy at low price direct from our farm.
Most of the farmer in Subukia relies with maize and beans crop thus making few of us to benefit from our business. The business will be profitable because climate is favorable to us enabling us to produce much farm produce even in during dry season. The risk facing the business is poor road and low price of milk price due to lack of co-operative to take the milk and diseases during the rainy season which hinders many farmers to plant tomatoes especially if one does not have money to buy chemicals for spraying these kind of plant when affected by a disease, main challenge facing these business is lack of money starting from renting the shamba up to harvesting time need one to have a lot of money. The goal of the business will to get profit and to satisfy the customer needs, the business fall under agriculture industry which has been growing very fast for past few years and it is expecting to have a bright future in term of modern farming. My vision about my business is expand from small farming to large scale farming whereby most of the farmers have been in large scale farming thus giving motivation to practice the type of farming. My typical monthly cost is khs 600000, sale revenue is around ksh 30000 and profit is above 25000 but I am planning to earn more from the business.

Loan Proposal

Hi lenders
It is in great appreciation to zidisha team for the far i have reached. I would like to use the money i will get from zidisha to start a green house where i want to grow tomatoes because it is the best way where the climate is controlled by human being in the green house because the area tomatoes is affected by dew which fall now and then.I am looking forward for your favorable respond and i will appreciate very much.

Feedback

10

None

1



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Loan Info

Project Type

Classic Loan

Disbursed amount

$500.00

Date disbursed

Jan 9, 2013

Repayment status

On Time

Projected term

3 months

Lenders

E

Errol

Bradenton, FL, United States

O

Oliver

Geneva, Switzerland

T

Tszach

Tucson, United States

sarasofia

Stockholm, Sweden

Sundstroms

Falun, Sweden

Creole1

Mobile, Alabama, United States

borscht

Golden, United States

S

SvenWaage

Stavanger, Norway

W

Woodyrocks

London, United Kingdom

juliemartha

Lake Mary, United States

Ask Lydia 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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  • mewesten    Jan 1, 2014

    Hi Lydia,
    I appreciate hearing from you, even though your news isn't so good. Thank you for your recent reply message. It is certainly difficult to continue finally when your customers don't pay you. I know that well.
    I wish you better luck after the holiday season. Maybe your customer payments will improve.
    Wishing you the best in 2014.
    Marvin

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  • Lydia    Jan 1, 2014

    First i would to thank Zidisha for this great opportunity to invest and build my business up to this far. My business has been doing very well but of late i have been experiencing some financial hicaps due to some bad debts from my customers they have been giving me empty promises.I am trying to understand them because we are in a busy festive season
    I have decided to reschedule my loan to an affordable amount just for a short duration and then i return to my normal repayment schedule. I have a prospect that my business might peak come next month, it is my great will and wish to increase my repayment so that i can finish repaying my loan early.
    I am very thankful for your understanding.
    May God bless Zidisha.

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  • mewesten    Oct 30, 2013

    Hi Lydia,
    Thank you for your recent reply message. It was good to hear from you.
    I know that raising chickens is a lot of work. Keeping vigil over them all night sounds like raising children!
    I'm sure it will be a process of learning as you gain experience with the chickens. I hope it pays off well for your benefit.
    My wishes are with you,
    Marvin

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  • mewesten    Sep 25, 2013

    Dear Lydia Gathigia,
    Your first loan payment arrived today. I appreciate that.

    Please let me know how your hybrid chicken operation is doing. I am very much interested in hearing about it.
    Best wishes to you.
    Marvin

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    • Lydia    Oct 13, 2013

      Thank you Mewesten.
      My Hybrid chicken are doing very well at this early starting process. They are very demanding and they eat a lot, sometimes one can go the whole night at vigil, just looking at the chicks. I have started coping and learning a lot from friends on how to deal with them. Thanks for supporting me,and support me again when they eat more.

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    • Lydia    Oct 13, 2013

      Thank you Mewesten.
      My Hybrid chicken are doing very well at this early starting process. They are very demanding and they eat a lot, sometimes one can go the whole night at vigil, just looking at the chicks. I have started coping and learning a lot from friends on how to deal with them. Thanks for supporting me,and support me again when they eat more.

      Log in to reply • Share
    • Lydia    Oct 13, 2013

      Thank you Mewesten.
      My Hybrid chicken are doing very well at this early starting process. They are very demanding and they eat a lot, sometimes one can go the whole night at vigil, just looking at the chicks. I have started coping and learning a lot from friends on how to deal with them. Thanks for supporting me,and support me again when they eat more.

      Log in to reply • Share
    • Lydia    Oct 13, 2013

      Thank you Mewesten.
      My Hybrid chicken are doing very well at this early starting process. They are very demanding and they eat a lot, sometimes one can go the whole night at vigil, just looking at the chicks. I have started coping and learning a lot from friends on how to deal with them. Thanks for supporting me,and support me again when they eat more.

      Log in to reply • Share
  • Lydia    Jul 18, 2013

    zidisha is a microfinance that has improved lifes for every individual, it does'nt choose the rich or the poor, the learned or non learned, it is an organization for the society. God bless zidisha.

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  • Lydia    Jul 16, 2013

    first i would like to thank zidisha and its members, since zidisha gave me this loan i am thanking my God, because i cant complain that it is not doing well, at the moment it has started picking. i am planning to repay my loan earlier so that i can qualify to enter to the category of the next loan. my business is not doing very bad although sometimes am delayed by my customers. i do hope when i finish repaying my loan my business will have be stable. thanks

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  • Lydia    Jun 12, 2013

    Dear lenders,
    i wish reschedule my loan and extend my repayment by one month. My business has been affected by the season as I have not been having many customers in my business. I was not able to add stock in the month of May due to some difficulties that my business was encountering. I hope that I will resume the repayment well this month and that I will be able to pay on time.

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  • Lydia    Apr 15, 2013

    Thanks all my dear lender who supported my loan bid.you have rely shown your great concern toward my loan,i a am very greatful and may the almighty GOD BLESS YOU as you continue to support other.i promise to work hard inorder to compleate the loan as soon as posible to get the third loan.thank you all

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  • Lydia    Apr 8, 2013

    I am a happy person for being
    supported by zidisha and individuals who supported me, especially Sarasofia, Sundstroms and Oliver may the Almighty God bless you all, may He give you more to enable you to support others.

    FOR ZIDISHA; am very greatful for my first loan. i applied for my second loan but you offered ksh8406. kindly i wish you can increase my offer since my bussiness is doing well and am sure if offered $1300 will do a good expansion work in my bussiness, and i will repay it in or before the set time. am looking forward for a good offer. thanks

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  • Lydia    Apr 2, 2013

    Dear Lenders,
    I am greatful for an opportunity that I got from Zidisha organization that has improved my livelihood. I have been able to improve the status of my business and would like to repay all my outstanding balance. This money is from one bull that had matured and I sold it 60, 000ksh. It is through Zidisha that I have been able to improve the quality of my livestock and I hope to do more through further funding. May God bless Zidisha microfinance.

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