Stephen
Mombasa, Kenya
100% repaid
Name
Stephen
Member since
January 2015
On-time repayments
57 installments • 39%
My name is Stephen Muya but most people call me 'Doctor'. I am not a medical doctor but a herbal practitioner and the the local community, the two professions are one and the same thing. I was born in Nakuru in the Kenya's Rift Valley region in a large family of 12 where I am the 6th born.
The big family meant that I had to start struggling for almost everything from an early age. I managed to go to school and moved out of the family house once I became an adult. I landed in Mombasa where I worked as a herbal medicine salesman where I worked for my brother who was operating this business. I managed to undergo training while doing this job.
My brother later sold the business to me to pursue other investments plans and I have been running this business for the last 7 years.
I am trained as a herbal practitioner and I also do research on herbs and their efficacy in treating various diseases.
I sell herbal medicine used for controlling many diseases and conditions. I buy the raw materials from stores which get them locally or import from neighboring countries and India. The most common raw materials are Eucalyptus, cloves, nettles, aloe vera etc. I extract the medicine from this materials and package the end product in syrup or crystal form.
My customers are people of all races, religion, lower and middle class especially those who are averse to using conventional medicine. The medicines are used to treat conditions such as diabetes, malaria, common colds and STIs.
This business has a turnover of about $700 per month but the expenses gobble up half of this. I use the balance to pay my bills and send some money to my aging parents back home.
If approved, I will use this money to buy more raw materials for making the herbs. I have budgeted $60 for this vote head and I will use the balance to advertise my work so as to reach more people. This will definitely increase the sales and the profit margin will go up accordingly.
Positive
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Neutral
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Negative
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Project Type
Classic Loan
Disbursed amount
$100.00
Date disbursed
Jan 23, 2015
Repayment status
On Time
Projected term
4 months
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