Kiraposho Enole    Oct 4, 2011

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Haloo.zidisha.members this is mrs kiraposho iapology alot for delary for the paiment the reasons is my job is not so good but now is good and 2 chilldren go to secondry school i try pay zoon thank

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Julia Kurnia    Aug 13, 2011

Dear lenders,

I spoke today with a neighbor of Ms Sumare and fellow Zidisha borrower regarding Ms Sumare's loan. Ms Sumare reports that sales have slowed this summer in the face of the severe drought that is affecting the entire region of Somalia and Kenya. Ms Sumare's oldest child is one of the few in her village who has been able to stay in education through high school - since the village schools only accommodate primary school grades, Ms Sumare's family uses a large part of their cash income to send their oldest child to a boarding school in a nearby town. When school fees came due earlier this summer, Ms Sumare and her husband chose to use their savings to keep their oldest child in school, at the cost of suspending repayments of Ms Sumare's loan. Ms Sumare is rebuilding her savings and expects to resume repayments soon.

Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions and comments concerning this loan.

Best,

Julia Kurnia, Director
[email protected]

Julia Kurnia    May 9, 2011

Dear lenders,

We received the following note via email from Ms. Sumare:

I hope all is well. Sorry for taking to long to response. The reason for loan repayment delays is that children were Easter vacation and as a parent I was struggling to get their school fees and in the Mara you know its low season no tourist to sale curio stuff to. I will make sure to repay.
Regards, Kiraposho

Kiraposho Enole    Oct 16, 2010

I would like to say thank you to Zidisha and the lenders who have sacrifice to have my loan funded. Receive lots of blessings from the Mara. I'm sure the funds i have received by the will of God are going to assist me to achieve my goals.I promise that i will always try to make my repayments in time. Ashe oleng

• d    Oct 16, 2010

  Good luck and much success in your work and family!

  Log in to reply • Share

Lauren Rosenbaum    Sep 7, 2010

Hello, lenders.
My name is Lauren Rosenbaum and I am one of Zidisha’s communications interns. I recently returned from working in the field as Zidisha’s Client Relations Manager in Kenya for two and a half months. was first stationed in Oloolamutia, a small town near the Masai Mara game reserve. Zidisha has four currently funded borrowers in Oloolamutia and surrounding villages as well as three individuals in the fundraising process. Because this is a remote region, opportunities for microcredit are scarce and many people are excited that Zidisha offers a new credit option.
I have worked in Kenya once before, as a communications intern for the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics in Nairobi. Through this work I met food processors and grain traders in the city as well as farmers, grain traders, and small-scale entrepreneurs in the rural areas of Western Kenya. What has always struck me about this country is the keen instinct for business that exists among residents of both rural and urban areas. Kenyans are very good at identifying demands for certain products and services within their communities. In Oloolamutia, the local economy once depended mostly on money generated from tourists through the sale of locally made crafts in maniatas (Masai cultural villages). While the Masai continue to sell their goods to tourists, most of their income is now made through the sale of goods and services to other residents of the region. Entrepreneurs engage in a wide variety of activities, from shuttling residents to different areas or the region to selling livestock drugs to pastoral Masai, for whom the care of cows, goats, and other animals is their main livelihood.
The Masai in this region seem quite open to business opportunities such as Zidisha that rely on technology. There are three pubs in town that have satellite dishes for televisions, and the owners of these pubs charge visitors to watch football games. As in many other parts of the country, most people own cell phones. M-pesa mobile money is also a very important part of people’s lives here, as it allows individuals to deposit and withdraw money through their phones rather than traveling long distances to reach a bank.
Business relationships in Oloolamutia and other places in the country are built on mutual respect and friendship and depend just as much on this dynamic as they do on price. It is for this reason that I believe Zidisha to be a good model for the area. Zidisha allows borrowers to have one-on-one interactions with lenders, without relying on intermediaries. I encourage lenders to take advantage of this unique system and comment on your borrowers’ profiles regularly.

Kiraposho Enole    Aug 25, 2010

Hi lenders i would thank you for accepting my loan application.I am really looking forward for more assistance the mara region have little rains only working hopefully.My business is running well only i was from Narok town to purchase some items for expansion i have gote some cash from my Loving husband who have sold three bulls with a total amount of ksh 50,000 and gave me Ksh 15,000 to buy Masai shukas and beads for weaving, the other cash will be used to complete more structures in Oloolaimutia Center.Hope to make at least Ksh3,500 in a month.I will as well make some more update when reach the camera place.