traciyoshiyama    Sep 23, 2012

September 19, 2012

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

It is not a little known fact that life can be rough here in Kenya, and among the many challenges faced, job scarcity is one of them. Many are forced to work in undesirable fields and having the opportunity to choose one’s career path is rare. This is not the case for Zidisha borrower, Duncan Kariuki. Being a mere 1½ years old, Duncan’s photo studio was not created out of necessity, but out of a newfound passion. Prior to his studio, Duncan owned a malimali shop and worked odd jobs transporting items with a donkey and cart. Due to a series of unfortunate events, Duncan found himself having to close his malimali business and start anew. As every cloud has a silver lining, Duncan opened his photo studio after being trained by a friend in the same business, and soon after discovered a natural talent. When asked if he enjoys his work, a smile spreads across an otherwise serious face and Duncan proudly shares, “It’s something I feel from inside. No one is forcing me to do this.”

With the Zidisha loan, Duncan would like to buy another digital camera, a lamination machine, memory cards, and flash drives. He would also like to start a boutique, which would be run by his wife who is currently not working. Although Duncan has not yet received his loan, he has big plans for the future. Wanting to be a longstanding Zidisha member, he hopes that when able to take out larger loans, he will be able to afford a video camera of his own. In addition to taking photos, Duncan is a videographer, often times shooting wedding videos. Not owning a camera of his own, he rents a camera and also pays someone to edit his videos. Duncan recently purchased his own computer and is teaching himself how to edit videos.

Being the only photo studio in the area, Duncan’s business is thriving. Word of his talent has reached beyond Utawala, as Duncan finds himself receiving many requests from all over Nairobi. As word of mouth grows, so does his business. I thank Duncan for welcoming me into his shop and I wish you all the best on your loan!

traciyoshiyama    Sep 9, 2012

Good luck on your loan Duncan! It was a pleasure meeting you and asante sana for the photo.