Loan to fund development of organic pesticide product

Charles

Nairobi, Kenya

100% repaid

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How it Works

Entrepreneur

Name

Charles

Member since

April 2014

On-time repayments

120 installments • 58%

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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Loan Info

Project Type

Classic Loan

Disbursed amount

$458.00

Date disbursed

Mar 27, 2015

Repayment status

On Time

Projected term

4 months

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Ask Charles 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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Charles Jun 21, 2016

Hi,Lenders i spoke to Charles he will update his Account Very soon he had few issue along the way but his looking for the Way forward .
Thank you

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Emma Mar 24, 2016

Hi Charles :-)

I'm a bit worried about Jones... Would you mind checking he is ok please?

Hope you're well.
Kind regards, Emma.

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A
andyfletcher Feb 13, 2016

Hello Charles,
Do you know what has happened to Betty Adhiambo, a borrower you are mentoring? She has not made any payments on her loan so far.

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Charles Jan 7, 2016

I have invested the loan money in material for training and will increase the installment once the material sales pick well

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Charles Dec 25, 2015

I thank my lenders. Today I received my loan of Ksh. 64,069. It is Christmas day and we are not working today. As we celebrate, however, what's on my mind is our next business training sessions on December 29th and 30th next week. On 29th I will be facilitating a 'sanitation module I' session while on 30th I will introduce a 'sanitation module II' session at a different venue. I have just talked to the guy who does our publicity and he will work half a day!

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P
patrice83 Dec 23, 2015

Go on :)

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- Charles Dec 25, 2015
  
  thank you
  
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Charles Dec 9, 2015

Thanks to all lenders. I managed to complete the project of making eco-bricks. I have also finished repaying the loan. The project succeeded despite some challenges. For instance, we experienced an unanticipated heavy rainy season which occasionally affected curing of the bricks. Despite all that, we sold the bricks in time and made profit which I have divested in another project.

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Charles Nov 25, 2015

I received my project payment that was pending

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Charles Nov 4, 2015

My payment has been delayed.

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Charles Oct 23, 2015

Our eco-bricks project is ongoing and we are meeting our targets as planned. Meanwhile I have just introduced a new brand of honey, 'Top Western Honey'! for our 'Bees for wealth and health project'. I am also working on innovative products like medicinal beewax-aloe cream, lotion, and honey-handwash for the 'bees for wealth and health project'. Our new brand 'top western honey' has been appreciated by many consumers since it is 'pure and natural' in a market dominated with adulterated honey from suppliers who mix honey with several other cheaper ingredients.

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Dorothy Sep 10, 2015

Hi charles ,my name is Dorothy I choose you as my mentor ,I wanted to ask you a few things if you a where I applied my third loan which is expiring in one hour time ,it was not completely funded not at all what might be wrong,might be disqualified from Zidisha ,please as my mentor my some inquiries and let me know the way forward thanks charles

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Charles Aug 28, 2015

I confirm receiving a loan of Ksh. 32,000 from Zidisha Inc. and I have committed it to the first batch of our bags of cement for the eco-bricks project. I thank all lenders who made this possible.

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Taylor Aug 26, 2015

Charles
Congratulations! I have just arrived home from Kenya! I was lucky enough to travel to Kenya as a young guy! 15 years old to be honest. I'm 34 today and I will honestly tell you that trip/the people changed the direction of my life! I wish you the best of luck and feel free to contact me if you like!

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Charles Aug 26, 2015

I thank all my lenders for making it possible for our 'affordable housing programme' to progress. As stated in the proposal, we will use the loan fund, together with own contributions, to buy 100 bags of cement which we will use to continue making the pressed soil bricks for the classrooms. More updates as the project progresses!

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AG
Alexandre Genereux Aug 18, 2015

Fantastic news!!

Congratulation on for all your accomplishements! I'm glad to have been able to contribute in a small way. Good luck for your future endeavors.

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- Charles Aug 19, 2015
  
  Thank you Alexandre!
  
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Charles Aug 18, 2015

I thank my lenders through Zidisha for enabling me complete my recently concluded research project on organic pesticide. I am planning to go to the next phase after my manuscript is published by the Journal of Health and Pollution. This has made a difference in my career. I will get an opportunity to partner with my former lecturers (of Chemical Engineering) and together we will work on the product's commercialization. This will entail further research on the product development (final formulation, preservation, patenting, packaging, pilot plant production, other) and projecting the commercial model for industrial scale partnerships.

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Charles Aug 15, 2015

Honey programme....
Apart from the research project, we have a 'honey wealthmakers programme' under the 'integrated development programme' and it is our fastest growing programme. Several farmers are expressing interest to acquire our bee hive kits, harvesting equipment and protective clothing. Others are selling honey to us which we repackage and resell. We are building bee apiary houses for others. This honey programme is pretty interesting.

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Charles Aug 15, 2015

I also create time to work with others. In our 'affordable housing programme' we champion production of more affordable bricks that not fired to save on environment and cost of housing. We partner with architects to design houses that conform to these more affordable construction materials.

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Charles Aug 15, 2015

I do more than just chemicals! In this photo I had created time to address excellent students of my former primary school. I had been invited as an old boy of the school and also as a founder of the 'integrated education programme' , a concept I will soon be making a presentation on in a forthcoming national conference for science and maths teachers.

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Charles Aug 15, 2015

I completed my loan repayment today. I thank my lenders for enabling complete the research project. i am looking forward for its second phase - its commercialization and to join the Kenya organic agriculture network to spearhead an additional product, the organic fertilizer. Besides this, I am also in bee keeping value-chain, a project we are doing with farmers. Affordable housing programme is another project we are starting out with my colleagues. My lenders through Zidisha has contributed to this success and look forward to working with them more in future.

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