Internet connection upgrade

Martin

Nairobi, Kenya

100% repaid

Entrepreneur

Name

Martin

Member since

March 2014

On-time repayments

317 installments  •  83%

About Me

I am the first born in my family we are just two kids me and my sister, we moved to the Nairobi from a small town called Nyeri in Central Kenya which is my home town.

I originally wanted to become a music producer after high school but discovered my passion is in computers and technology therefore I studies IT and worked as a support tech for several years before finally switching from that to being a virtual assistant on www.odesk.com

It was not easy to hold down a good stable job because of the competitive nature of the IT industry so after the IT support job that lasted 2 years was over, it was time to use my skills to work for myself.

That is the reason I partnered with a friend and business partner who owns a cyber cafe to train your kids use computers and learn ways to utilize their skills to be their own bosses.

My Business

I am a virtual assistant on www.upwork.com which is a global market place for companies, entrepreneurs and organizations to outsource their work to remote workers from all over the world.

My goal is to use my skills to help young people get computer skills and be self reliant, I do my freelance work in a public cyber cafe that is owned by a friend, and that is also where I volunteer to teach kids to use computers.

Using savings and help from family I managed to purchase a small car that I use to provide taxi services in my neighborhood. This is a good way of earning money to repay the loans as well as provide a service.

Right now my only source of income is the taxi business, the online work has not been generating enough income to cater for my bills. This could be as a result of the financial crisis in the European and American countries, everyone is cutting back on expenses.

However I am very hopeful that things will work out for the better and I can fulfill all my goals. I thank the Zidisha community for providing this platform to help young people get a livelihood rather than end up in crime.

Right now at the cyber cafe, we need to buy two new computers, that will cost $400, we also need to upgrade our internet connection from the current 1Mbps to at least 5Mbps, this will increase the bill from the current $30 to $100.

The loan combined with savings that we have accumulated will be able to buy one new computer, then we can work out how to get the other one and upgrade the internet connection so that we can take in more kids, especially now during school holidays.

There is a huge demand for computer skills among young people who are looking for part time jobs in between school holidays, or for those fresh from high school. This is the reason why the cyber is the perfect place for these kids to come and get computer skills.

I choose to help teach because its very fulfilling for me to see kids getting real skills that add value in their lives, they become self employed and start their own ventures like typing services or working online doing different things like social media marketing or doing research work like myself.

The costs at the cyber are typically slightly above $800 that includes internet connection, rent for the cyber, stationery, business licenses and daily expenses that include but not limited to running errands.

At the moment the cyber makes very little profit because costs are high to run it but any money we make we pump it back to the business and also us it to repay any debts we incur.

The best thing about what I do is seeing kids getting computer skills and earning money on their own, just like I did when I switched from employment to being a freelance VA.

Loan Proposal

We will need to upgrade our internet bandwidth to 10mbps from 8mbps so that we can handle the increased internet traffic currently as the kids use it all day to learn and browse all day.
Also we plan to buy a camera so that we can start teaching photography classes. So far we have managed to buy new seats from the last loan received, now we need a printer, cables, stationery and antivirus programs all at a total coast of $150.

Feedback

1

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Loan Info

Project Type

Classic Loan

Disbursed amount

$125.00

Date disbursed

Jun 5, 2018

Repayment status

On Time

Projected term

25 months

Lenders

Paul Buchheit

Mountain View, United States

Ask Martin 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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  • Martin    Aug 1, 2022

    The income generated at the cyber cafe is not enough to pay the full loan amount.

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  • Martin    Jul 24, 2022

    The income currently being generated is not sufficient to be able to cover the total installment amount. So we are trying to maximize returns so that we are able to honor the full installment fee. It's been challenging but hoping for the best. Also, there isn't much cash flow because of the impending elections.

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  • Martin    Jul 13, 2022

    Thanks for the contribution, the money will buy stationery, ink, sanitizers, masks, pay for desk refurbishing, and new chairs.
    It will help accommodate new kids, and keep the cybercafe safe from covid19.

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  • Martin    Jul 10, 2020

    Thank you, lenders, so much for your help, the last loan went a long way in helping out and making it easier to help the kids. Unfortunately, because of the COVID 19 pandemic, our progress has been slightly obstructed, and we need money urgently to put in place safety measures like masks, and gloves on top of our already present internet needs. I am hoping the next loan will go a long way in making a difference, thank you all.

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  • Martin    May 30, 2020

    Income not enough to pay full limit

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  • Martin    May 13, 2020

    Income is not enough to pay full amount.

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  • Martin    Mar 25, 2020

    Income not enough

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  • Martin    Feb 12, 2020

    Income is not enough to pay the full amount.

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  • Martin    Jan 1, 2020

    Income is not enought to pay full amount.

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  • Martin    Nov 20, 2019

    Income not enought to pay full amount.

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  • Martin    Oct 13, 2019

    low income

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  • Martin    Sep 2, 2019

    Income is not enough to pay full amount.

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  • Martin    Aug 2, 2019

    Income not enough to pay full amount.

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  • Martin    Jul 1, 2019

    Income is not enough to pay full amount.

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  • Martin    Jun 3, 2019

    Income is not enough to pay the full amount. Working on that.

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  • Martin    May 2, 2019

    Income is not enough to pay full amount

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  • Martin    Mar 31, 2019

    Income is not enough to meet the full installment.

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  • Martin    Mar 9, 2019

    Cannot raise the full installment amount

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  • Martin    Feb 1, 2019

    Not able to raise the full amount of installations

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  • Martin    Nov 30, 2018

    income to repay is not enough

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