Entrepreneur
Name
Antonina
Member since
September 2015
On-time repayments
44 installments • 95%
About Me
I am Antonina Aura, Kenyan Citizen with a high school diploma.
I also a have some working experience having worked in a bank for a short time as a subordinate staff, before being laid off. I then got married and I am a mother of 5, and grandmother of 3.
Unfortunately my husband died and left me with 5 children to raise, which has been a really upward task. I have had to run small businesses to make ends meet, provide education, shelter, food and clothing for my children. My children are now all grown up but securing good jobs in this country is hard , so most of them are just struggling.
I am the first born of 6 children from my mom, but 26 children from my Dad as he was a polygamist with 5 wives.
This situation presented me with a lot of challenges, when I was growing up as, we ended up with a missing father, though you could see him but he was just rarely in my mom`s house. This was mainly because my mother was the first wife which meant dad had 4 other younger wives to please.
To make matters worse my Mom had a hearing disability having gone deaf at age 12, as a result of a sever meningitis attack. But I was always encouraged seeing that she was able to bring 6 children into this world and to take care of them. And musing that she must have been something for my dad, who was quite a catch (he was a chief`s son), to have married her despite her disability.
The biggest challenge was getting fees from my dad to enable me and my siblings go to school. There were so many of us and every wife was fighting for her own children. My mother was not so well placed to fight effectively due to her disability and so this role fell to me as the oldest child. Getting school fees paid by my father was e very delicate balancing act but by the time I was ten, I had perfected it and so all my 4 brothers, my sister and myself were able to get a good education.
After retirement I relocated to my rural village where I have 4 acres of land that belonged to my late husband. Securing this land, also paused quite a challenge as I was expected to agree to be inherited by one of my brothers –in –law. When I did not agree to this tradition, the family of my late husband tried to take the land from me, and it has taken me over three years to secure it.
I am actually looked upon as a hero by my fellow widows, in the village, as so many of them lost their land to their brother –in –laws. This kind of prompted me to start a widow’s women group and now I try to counsel them and help them navigate the inheritance laws of this country so that they do not lose their land.
My Business
As I said I live in my rural village and a run 2 M-Pesa businesses at two local market centers. I combine this business with selling mobile phones and other related products.
The Mpesa business is helping my community as it is much nearer than the other shops and so people can access this important service more easily.
Because of my 4 acres of land I am able to grow surplus maize to sell to my community as most of them own less than one acre farms where they can only do substance farming. I am able to sell the maize to them at reasonable prices than if they go to the local markets.
I have also started to raise indigenous chickens and now have 47 chickens. I do farm and sale some cereals as well, and vegetables. The proceeds are used to expand the business and to look after my aging parents. my dad recently passed on and my mom is very old. The burden of looking after her has once more fallen on me.
The chicken business is promising but i need to expand it so that i can also produce eggs for sale.
Loan Proposal
As I said I live in my rural village and a run 2 M-Pesa businesses at two local market centers. I combine this business with selling mobile phones and other related products.
I have also started to raise indigenous chickens and now have 47 chickens. I do farm and sale some cereals as well, and vegetables. The proceeds are used to expand the business and to look after my aging parents. My dad passed on over a year ago and my mom is now very old.
I am looking for funds US $ 150 to buy Chicken wire mesh so I can keep the chicks safe from danger. Preditors are many and even cases of theft if the chicks venture too far from the home stead.
I would like to expand the running area, so the chicks have a larger area to feed within the enclosure.
If given this money I will be able to pay it back at the rate of $30 per week that is in two months.
My monthly income and expenses from my other businesses is as follows:
Commission earned from M-pesa $ 200
Money earned from eggs 15
Money earned from sale of chicken 5
Money earned from sale of vegetable 18
Money earned from Sale of Cereals 10
Money earned from other businesses 184
Total monthly earnings $ 432
Less Expenses:
Rent paid 30
Salaries 100
Chicken feed 10
Total Expenses 140
Surplus funds $ 292
I will be able to use part of these surplus funds to pay off the loan if given.
I am keeping chickens that are free of illness and community members are learning from me how to keep chickens and have them vaccinated against diseases. I sell chicks to them so they can start their own projects.
This is my first loan and I am therefore limited to what I can borrow. I am confident that I will pay off this loan as need, so that i can borrow more funds to expand my indigenous poultry business. This business will help me to start and encourage my fellow widows to start their own projects so they cab self reliance and not be forced into wife inheritance due to poverty. My goal is to see them liberated and able to make choices based on free will and not because they are in desperate need of help.
Feedback
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Loan Info
Project Type
Classic Loan
Disbursed amount
$150.00
Date disbursed
Oct 1, 2015
Repayment status
On Time
Projected term
2 months
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Ask Antonina a question about this project, share news and photos of your own, or send a simple note of thanks or inspiration.
David Oct 9, 2019
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