jjonas    Oct 30, 2014

Dear John Chege ,
please dont leave me in vain!
What happend? Why still 0% Repayment?!
Thanks

John    Jan 18, 2014

I send my greetings both mine and my family.
Unfortunately i wasn't able to start repaying my loan as i had earlier
indicated. This is due to illness that caught me and i was admitted in
hospital since November and therefore wasn't able to conduct my normal
errands including my boda boda business.
Luckily i was released from hospital and i am getting well. I will start paying the amounts due as
soon as possible as i have resumed my normal duties now.

I am very sorry for any inconvenience caused.

• mewesten    Jan 18, 2014

  Hi John,
  Very sorry to hear of your illness, but glad you are getting better.
  We know you are a good man and will take care of business as soon as you are able. Best wishes for a full recovery.
  marvin

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mewesten    Jan 11, 2014

Hey John, We haven't heard from you in a very long time.
Just checking on you to see what's going on.
Hope you are well.
Marvin

John    Sep 27, 2013

Hello,
I am sorry for not starting the repayment as scheduled. there is currently a low season for charcoal and am experiencing low stock sales. The motorbike passenger business is also low and so I am using the little i get from there to pay for children's school fees and cater for the core family needs. Over the next month I am sure I will be able to resume the payments. Again, I am sorry for any inconvenience. Thank You.

• mewesten    Sep 27, 2013

  Hello John.
  Sorry business is slow. I'm glad that you can still take care of the important things. I hope that business will pick up for you soon.
  Best regards,
  Marvin

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John    Aug 16, 2013

Hi mewesten,
Thank you alot too for your continued support to me in my time here with Zidisha. I am intending to buy the pick up vehicle that I had posted photos here which costs Kshs. 400,000 but my current credit limit cant allow me to take a bigger loan. This will eneable me add up to my savings and buy the vehicle which will assist me in quick delivery of charcoal to my clients. It will also eneable me save the expenses which I had been incurring when I am delivering in bulky or paying the transport of the charcoal to my shop.
Hoping for your positive response.
Thanks a lot and may God bless you.

• mewesten    Aug 16, 2013

  Hello Mr Chege,
  The Zidisha team determines the loan amount. After the loan is posted, lenders such as myself and hundreds of other lenders are given the opportunity to fund the loan. When your next loan is posted by the Zidisha team, I will contributes to funding it.
  I hope it happens for you. That is a very nice looking utility vehicle.
  Marvin

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John    Aug 14, 2013

I wish to thank the whole Zidisha lenders for your continued support. On my next loan i am planning to buy this vehicle to make my work easier and quick delivery of charcoal to my customers. The cost of the vehicle is kshs. 400,000. the previous loan wasnt enough and i am trying to pay the current loan in time so as to take another bigger one.
I am kindly appealing to lenders to please consider my request on my next loan.

Thanks and may God Bless you.

John    Jun 9, 2013

I am taking this opportunity to thank the whole Zidisha family for what they are doing. They have become a real revelation to me and my entire family.

May the Lord Almighty bless you abundantly.

• mewesten    Jun 9, 2013

  Hello John,
  I am happy to hear that the Zidisha loan allows you to improve your business.
  Of course the weather is unpredictable, but in time I hope the charcoal will sell and provide you with additional income.
  
  My best wishes for you and your work.
  Marvin (mewesten)

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  • John    Jun 18, 2013

    Hello to you Mewesten,
    Thanks for your motivation. i am happy now that the stock has started moving quickly as i will start my repayment this month. I am hopeful this trend continues as the weather is very cold over here in Kenya.
    My dream for the vehicle taxi is still fresh and hopefully i will own one.
    
    Thanks again and may God Bless you.

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  • John    Jun 18, 2013

    Hello to you Mewesten,
    Thanks for your motivation. i am happy now that the stock has started moving quickly as i will start my repayment this month. I am hopeful this trend continues as the weather is very cold over here in Kenya.
    My dream for the vehicle taxi is still fresh and hopefully i will own one.
    
    Thanks again and may God Bless you.

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• russell    Jun 9, 2013

  hi john I am glad to be part of your success.Could you post a pic of the taxi you have bought?I would like to see it.If you keep this up you could end up with a new taxi one day.The lenders were all enthusiastic in lending to you so this is a good sign for your future. best wishes russell

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  • John    Jun 18, 2013

    Hi Russel,
    Thank you for your motivation. I had wanted to buy the taxi but the loan wasnt enough but instead added bulky stock to my charcoal business as i intend had started to supply the charcoal in wholesale.
    I am really trying to increase my repaynent on time inorder to increase the ontime repayment so as to be entitled to a bigger loan level which will hopefully help me buy the taxi vehicle.
    
    Thanks a lot and may God Bless You.

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John    May 31, 2013

I had added bulky stock for the charcoal business and the sales were down because of the weather being sunny. I normally have high sales during heavy rains. I am Sorry for any inconvenience caused but will start payment at the date stated.
Once i start the payment i will pay the loan fully in two months
Thanks in advance.

May God Bless You

AWeber    Sep 30, 2012

September 30, 2012

Hello, my name is Andrew Weber and I am a Zidisha Kenya Client Relationship Manager. I am currently visiting Zidisha borrowers in and around Nairobi.

Recently I paid a visit to Zidisha borrower John Chege at his place of work in the Ongata Rongai village on outskirts of Nairobi. John has worked as a motorbike taxi driver for the last several years. He is a reliable driver with many regular customers, but with four young children in school to support, John recently decided it was time to earn a supplemental income. So John took it upon himself to start a charcoal business, and has turned to Zidisha for assistance in bolstering his burgeoning new venture.

John has set up his charcoal shop in a room just feet away from the bus station where he bases his motorbike taxi. During my visit I saw significant evidence that John is going the extra mile to make the new business work. He enthusiastically described to me how he chose to get into the charcoal business because demand is high and risk is low. He already has accumulated many large sacs of charcoal that he sells in paint can-sized buckets, but he tells me that its crucial that he increases his supply now in advance of the coming cold rainy months when demand will rapidly increase. John knows his market quite well and had absolutely no qualms about going into debt to prepare to pending demand spike. He also showed me the meticulous transaction book he’s been keeping, where I could see a healthy profit being made on most sales. With his new Zidisha loan, John’s profits should multiply, allowing to him to better support the needs of his wife and children.

John is so confident in his new business that he’s already discussed repaying his first loan as soon as possible so he can take out an even larger Zidisha loan to further fortify his charcoal stock. The fact that he has been pulling double duty by continuing to operate his motorbike taxi in the evenings speaks volumes about his work ethic. Thanks to John’s diligent research and preparation, his new business appears to be destined for success.

• John    Apr 15, 2013

  @Aweber....Hi Aweber thanks a lot for the visit i was truly happy to see you,Am also happy to see how my business is growing day by day.My plan this round is to start a big taxi company which actually i was requesting if possible i could get 400,000 thousand Kenyan shillings to buy a vehicle in the same business,The reason i opted to do so is because at times i work until midnight so through the process of moving here and there there a lot challenges i come across like inhaling a lot of air that can cause heart problem or pneumonia also insecurity so that's why i was kindly requesting if you could offer me that amount to buy a vehicle ,at least this can help me go long distances eg Airports,thus can lower the chances of security matters and also prevent some health problems.....hope to here from you soon be blessed brother.

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John    Sep 30, 2012

Thanks a lot for your highly motivation. I think the money will help me to uplift my living standards.

Best wishes.