Loan to fund development of organic pesticide product

Entrepreneur

About Me

I am Charles Butiko, a Kenyan Development Consultant (and trainer), with a background in engineering, business management & entrepreneurship, and environmental management. I am a social chain entrepreneur with interests in chemical & food technology, agribusiness, renewable energy &environmental conservation, education, research, and cottage industrialization. I work through both business, and community development models, which enable me work with
several people, schools, government institutions, non-governmental
organizations, and private enterprise.I am an innovator, a thinker and enjoy providing solutions to people's challenges. I also serve as a motivational speaker
during community development forums. Through Integrated Development program, I launched a number of 'community development initiatives' including 'integrated sustainable development practical life skills program'. Through this, I am constantly getting opportunities to empower groups and individuals.

My hobbies are traveling, discussing issues, and meeting and making new friends. I am very passionate about our recent 'sustainable practical life skills program' for community. We started with training groups and individuals how to make, package and brand sanitation & beauty products like soap, hair shampoo, disinfectants, and organic home-made insecticides. We then source raw material for them and offer technical support during their project work. This has received an overwhelming response and I can see it grow wider since we plan to introduce other modules in food technology, renewable energy technology, water technology, and organic/herbal health solutions.

My Business

I work as a development consultant, researcher, social entrepreneur, and community development leader, and motivational speaker. Through Integrated Development Agency, I have teamed up with others to create a difference in people's lives by partnering with various organizations to initiate the integrated development program which works and proposes to continue working in various sectors.

Our most interesting programme is the 'integrated sustainable practical skills programme'. This program has modules premised on different sectors like: sanitation, beauty, food technology, renewable energy technology, organic/herbal health, and business improvement. Sample practical modules include: how to make & package soap, hair shampoo, disinfectants (under sanitation); glycerine, lotions, creams, beauty soaps, other (beauty); yoghurt, ice cream, jam, tomato sauce, chilli sauce (food technology); biogas, biodiesel, energy briquettes (renewable energy); herbal health solutions (health); business plans, project proposals, strategic plans( business improvement). We organize training forums and charge at least USD 3 per head. We can serve at least 50 attendants per session and hold at least 2 sessions per week. Thereafter we supply raw material to all interested in making the products from home. This program is picking up well and complements my income from selling products like: soap, shampoo, glycerine, disinfectants, honey, and from other talks. I have also partnered with a firm to supply secondary school students with scientific calculators at subsidized costs (the subsidy is a benefit on costing based on bulk order discounts) early 2016.

Loan Proposal

I have received a grant of USD 500 from Blacksmith Institute (New York,USA) as a downpayment and to facilitate my research project on an organic pesticide, which I have locally innovated. The project is my pre-masters project as well as laying a foundation for a potential commercialization of the organic pesticide. I will be comparing its performance with a commercial inorganic pesticide locally used but suspected to be containing hazardous elements. The success of the organic pesticide product can save the health of millions who are affected by polluted chemical pesticides currently in use. Local research instiutions like KALRO, KEPHIS and PCPB are willing to guide me further on this study, which will take two months. My budget is USD 1,000. I have USD 500 and I am borrowing about USD 500 which I will repay with income from my job (Sales Engineer) and other small ventures in soap and beauty products. I have always been repaying my loans in time and have introduced my friends to Zidisha because I believe Zidisha needs to grow to serve many other people.

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