Stones, sand and timber to build homes and shops

AllieJ    Mar 4, 2015

Hi Rose, do you think you can make a repayment soon, or can you please update us on your plans, thank you.

guenter    Feb 21, 2015

Dear Rose,
you are very late with your repayments. Any news for us, please?

Namaste250    Dec 30, 2014

Hello Rose,
Happy New Year!
Best wishes to you and your family for a healthy, joyous and prosperous 2015, Ann

jan73    Dec 25, 2014

Good wishes for health, joy, and prosperity to you and your family in 2015!

guenter    Dec 14, 2014

Rose, any news for us, please?

guenter    Nov 2, 2014

Hi Rose, you are late with your repayments. Do you have any problems? Please inform us.

Maurice    Jun 30, 2014

James    Jun 28, 2014

Very inspiring indeed..Keep up with your business strategy..

traciyoshiyama    Aug 31, 2012

August 29, 2012

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

A few days ago I had the pleasure of finally meeting the much talked about Rose Karanja. Featured in many Zidisha posts and appearing in various forms of news media worldwide, I felt as if I already knew this truly inspirational individual. The epitome of a woman, Rose exudes a confidence that has surely been the driving force of her success thus far. The pictures highlighted in Alex Villec’s article show the foundation of a house being built. Look at the transformation now!

To view more pictures of Rose, visit my blog: talkingstory.posterous.com

Markus    Aug 9, 2012

Dear Rose,
All the best for your project, which you have described to us.
I am sure that it will succeed, given your background. Being in the Project Business myself, I am glad to see your optimism that both, you will meet the schedule of your project and that your business will enjoy a boost as a whole.

Good Luck & Best Wishes,

Markus

Rose    Aug 7, 2012

Thanks to all lenders for your generous support, i will now boost my business and my project will take the scheduled time.may the almighty God bless each abundantly.

Julia Kurnia    Jul 16, 2012

Dear lenders,

I'd like to share the article "How 1 woman broke the mold in Ongata Rongai’s male-dominated construction industry", about Rose Karanja. The article may be viewed at www.one.org/blog/2012/07/11....

The article was authored by our Communications Associate Alex Villec, and published by the ONE Campaign. It's well worth a read. While Ms Karanja's story is inspiring, her entrepreneurial spirit is something we see over and over among the people who join Zidisha.

Best,

Julia Kurnia
Director, Zidisha Inc.

• mikeypw62    Aug 7, 2012

  Julia,
  Thank you for the link to the blog. As a new member to the site, I wish I had found it sooner and would have offered more to lend based on this article. The article helped me understand the position of this young business person.
  Thank you

  Log in to reply • Share

AchintyaRai    Mar 11, 2012

Hello lenders,

My name is Achintya Rai. This Friday (9th March 2012) I visited Rose Karanja at one of her building sites in Ongata Rongai near Nairobi.

Rose is a beautiful young woman whose is a fascinating story of grit and entrepreneurial spirit. Rose’s mother died when she was young and she was brought up by her grandmother. When Rose was in from four (the last year of secondary school) her grand mother also passed away. She has been working since then to take care of her two siblings.

She started by supplying food to people working on construction sites. That is how she learnt about the construction business, traditionally considered a forte of men. She saw an opportunity and started a construction material supply business. Rose is a very confident and pleasant person and I can visualize her as a great networker. She made contacts that helped her get business. She got a contract to supply ballast (small pieces of stone), which she fulfilled by buying stones and then hiring labor to break them into small pieces. With the proceeds she bought sand and supplied in small quantities. Later she started sourcing sand directly from the rivers and her business grew.

Her Zidisha loan was used to buy sand, ballast and other supplies.

Recently, because of her contacts and good work, she also got contracts to build two houses on a plot of ½ acres. Rose seemed delighted with this development and is going to focus on the construction business as a priority. This new contract will entail hiring an engineer (which could cost 100,000 to 150,000 shillings a year), buying material, hiring labor and overseeing the construction work.

With her next Zidisha loan, Rose wants to buy a vibrator machine, which is used to mix concrete. In the future, when she has sufficient funds, she wants to go back to school and get a degree in Civil Engineering (she has shortlisted a University in Uganda) and then start her own construction company.

I see in Rose the making of a great businesswoman and armed with her networking skills, business acumen and glittering smile, she is sure to be an entrepreneur to be reckoned with. And she is just 28.

Achintya
11th March 2012
Nairobi, Kenya

James    Mar 9, 2012

Today Friday 9th i had a surprise visit to Rose Karanja place of work she was in a site where she was the supplier of building materials. with me was Ms Natalie sisson A suitcase entrepreneur and a friend of her Mr Adrew. Ms natalie is on a mission To blow the top off history and create a movement where women court bolder dreams and turn them into reality by starting their own 6 figure online businesses. A world where women want to shape and change the way in which we do business. Watch out world .she was referred to us By Jenna.she wanted to experience the effects of zidisha by women entrepreneurs and we found a beautiful moments that zidisha has continued attracting people from every corner of the world. Rose had a work force of about Ten men she was supervising and she narrated how zidisha has enabled her continue with her supply business and she nows is into construction of building house.she was very happy about the visit and she is grateful to Zidisha and the entire team.

NhinSD    Feb 9, 2012

Best Wishes to you and your family Rose!

Rose    Jan 30, 2012

Thanks lenders for supporting my business and generously contributing to my loan.Zidisha is the best organization i have known this year and may God bless you all.