traciyoshiyama    Nov 8, 2012

November 7, 2012

Hello, my name is Traci Yoshiyama, Zidisha’s Kenya Client Relationship Manager. I am currently visiting Zidisha borrowers in and around Nairobi.

To begin a new life at the age of forty is no simple task, especially in a country where jobs are scarce and government support is low. It becomes easy to imagine a bleak future and although one eventually moves on, feelings of hope can quickly diminish. A true believer in mind over matter, Esther Njeri chose a different path, not allowing life’s challenges to get in the way of her success.

Thirteen years ago, Esther’s life was completely altered after being let go of her position at the Ministry of Lands and Settlements. Without even a days notice, she found herself having to say farewell to friends, a salary, and a life that she had known for almost 15 years. Although she went home feeling confused and embarrassed, Esther would not let these feelings linger, for not only did she have a family that depended on her, she also envisioned a life for herself that did not simply stop at every wrong turn. In the year 2000, Esther became one of the thousands that make up the informal sector in Kenya.

Like many women, Esther began her entrepreneurial career selling mitumba (secondhand clothing). Not generating enough profit and finding the chore of sitting idle in a shop lacking intellectual stimulation, she decided to delve into the food industry. Esther made and sold fruit pudding to the community with the intention of promoting healthy living, but she still found this job unsatisfactory. Always wanting to gain new knowledge, she chose to become a detergent supplier, first having to take a course on soap making. After receiving her certification, Esther created BOTWED (her children’s initials). BOTWED currently distributes detergent to clinics and schools in Ruai. Upon receiving her first Zidisha loan, Esther would like to buy the chemicals needed to make more detergent, as well as pay for the many administrative costs necessary to run her business. Although proven to be successful, BOTWED only makes enough profit to pay for basic necessities. Always “thinking big”, as she states many times throughout our conversation, Esther’s newest plan is to invest in real estate, hoping that her second Zidisha loan can assist her in doing just that.

Meeting Esther and witnessing her unyielding fortitude, I am reminded of what sets Zidisha apart from the rest, that while we are potentially investing in businesses, in essence, we are investing in people. Who better to invest in than a person who declares, “I have a big vision. I always tell myself, I can afford. Why not? I will not stay stagnant and I must think big. I want to meet people who also think big.”

To view more pictures of Esther, visit talkingstory.posterous.com/...