Solar lamps & clean cookstoves for rural women & girls

Francis

Chipata, Zambia

55% repaid

Entrepreneur

Name

Francis

Member since

March 2016

On-time repayments

348 installments  •  77%

About Me

Growing up in a Village and raised by great grandmother, i studied under a kerosene lamp and every month i missed school due to sickness caused by the fumes from the kerosene lamps. Its an experience i don't wish any child or woman to go through. My great grandmothers meager earning she used to have was mostly spent on my medication, while my uncles were busy abusing my aunties and spending their money on beers. I grew up knowing the challenges women go through. I grew up knowing that when a woman is empowered then the whole village is empowered. I saw it through my great grandmother Sofia and through my aunties.

Its this experience that has shaped my career path. I chose to be a Social Entrepreneur so that i can create opportunities for women and girls. So that i can enable women and girls have equal accesses to products and services that can put them on a road to economic prosperity.

My Business

For the past 3 years i set up Kukula Solar, a social business that seek to distribute 100,000 solar products to rural and peri urban communities of Zambia. 90% of these solar products will be put in the hands of women and girls so that they can be empowered to do more. For girls, to study for longer hours and for women to work for longer hours. Its here at Zidisha were we launched this social business and together we have distributed over 3,000 solar lanterns. We still have 97,000 solar lanterns to distribute, thats why i invite all our lenders here to help us get these life changing products to the women and girls I'm so passionate about!

Loan Proposal

With this microloan, I plan to restock clean cookstoves and solar lanterns to distribute to my customers in Lundazi and Petauke District of Eastern Province.

The total units I will buy with this loan will be 600 and will help families in rural communities of Lundazi and Petauke to be able to use solar lanterns instead of kerosene and also cook under a smart clean stove using biomass such as cow dung instead of cutting trees.

This business continues to create benefits for families we distribute to and also to the environment. We are encouraging people to stop cutting trees and using dirty sources of energy for lighting and cooking. This helps us to conserve our forest and also help combat climate change.

Income Source

My business model is very unique because I only distribute products that bring life-changing opportunities for people. All the products I sell are essential products that are very much on demand. With a unique repayment plan that allows my customers to pay I'm installment, it enables me to have money weekly hence making it possible to manage to repay for the microloan on a weekly basis.

My Videos

Jan 18, 2021: Impacting lives using zidisha loans

Feedback

9

None

None

  • Kirk Moore    Jul 9, 2021

    Thanks for paying back early!

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  • Cianna    Jan 18, 2021

    Francis is the best! I am happy to support such an innovative and pro-social entrepreneur! I will continue to lend each time Francis makes a request since he is doing some truly amazing work!

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  • David    Jan 17, 2021

    Loan was originally scheduled to take three months. Despite the pandemic hampering his business, Francis continued making regular payments, completing the loan in 13 months. I appreciate your commitment during a very challenging time.

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  • David    Dec 1, 2019

    Although the loan was for a larger amount, regular payments were received and the loan was paid in full as originally scheduled. I am pleased to be able to help such an amazing project.

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  • TomF925    Mar 7, 2019

    Thanks for sharing your website:
    www.kukulasolar.com
    I certainly recommend everyone have a look. Well done! Also, Zidisha blog has a great article about Francis:
    p2p-microlending-blog.zidis...

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  • TomF925    Mar 21, 2017

    March 15, 2018. Just a friendly suggestion for everyone to visit Francis' inspiring campaign:
    LIGHTING UP LIVES IN RURAL ZAMBIA
    igg.me/at/BU8v3PUek-U
    March 21, 2017
    I am thrilled by each message and each photo that Francis posts in the Discussion. Have a look everyone!

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  • Jan    Mar 20, 2017

    +1 Francis' enthusiasm
    +1 Francis' story's
    +1 Francis' repayments

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  • BernadetteV    Mar 19, 2017

    Francis many regular repayments and kept us informed about his business. It was a pleasure to lend to him.

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Loan Info

Project Type

Classic Loan

Disbursed amount

$1,325.00

Date disbursed

May 15, 2021

Repayment status

Late

Projected term

7 months

Lenders

Elinor

Maple Lake, MN, United States

davelowe100

Perryville, United States

PaulE

Cockeysville, MD, United States

eagle3

Grand Ledge, United States

AltruisticSelfishnes

Chicago, United States

S

soren

Göteborg, Sweden

MarktheMormon

Sandy, Utah, United States

Martin

Manama, Bahrain

T

Tallago3

Munich, Germany

MakeSense

-, St. Kitts and Nevis

D

DRSZ73

Portsmouth, United Kingdom

queenjord

edmond, United States

A

AlexCheng

Seattle, United States

S

Senryu91

caldogno, Italy

L

lujabe

Melbourne, Australia

G

graememoss

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Cloudways

Malta, Malta

J

jzidi

Los Angeles, United States

M

Mårten

Inden, Switzerland

G

Goodwill

Oakland, United States

P

Prysdahl

Marshall, United States

Ingela

Falun, Sweden

IM

Isak Maaseide

Tromso, Norway, Norway

nakamura

United States

N

Norin

Germany

L

Liz

Nowra, Australia

JTShorty

Gorham, Maine, United States

ShaneS

Port Pirie, Australia

G

Goldrivermob

Gold River, Canada

M

miriamg

Toronto, Canada

F

fundfinite

Wellington, New Zealand

C

Colibri

Nanaimo, Canada

JFais

Atlanta, United States

O

Ohio

Ohio, United States

ibc123

Seattle, United States

barthez

Hamm, Germany

A

ADISI

Bern, Switzerland

Freewolf

Salt Lake City, United States

mikeice

Kohler, United States

G

GoughGirl

Washington, Dc, United States

T

tophini

Alma, United States

MalcolmL

San Francisco, United States

R

roozbeh

United States

C

ColoradoEmac

United States

Paul Buchheit

Mountain View, United States

lyalljellyman

Wellington, New Zealand

M

merk85

United States

bb4dogs

United States

S

sarah4d2

Saint Louis, United States

mepster

San Francisco, Ca, United States

B

bscent

Hong Kong

E

edbean

United Kingdom

N

Nicole

Pittsburgh, United States

Jamal Hamou

Cascadia, Canada

Per Dahl

Norrköping, Sweden

Nigel Titley

Milton Keynes, United Kingdom

S

Sven

Netherlands

E

Erich

Zurich, Switzerland

UN

Uwe Neumann

Frankfurt Germany, Denmark

Franmiguel

Perth, Australia

R

Robert

Berlin, Germany

HS

Hayley Summers

United Kingdom

MW

Matt Willis

United States

WH

Walter Hill

United States

W

Wade

United States

Jan

Netherlands

DN

Don Nichols

United States

Jake Badger

Roskilde, Denmark

Lotus Flower

United States

Kate Courteau

United States

MA

Mary Art Hunt

United States

K

K

United States

BV

Ben Veal

United Kingdom

moursund

Beaver Nation, United States

Kevin

San Francisco, United States

JC

JD Conley

United States

I

Ian

United Kingdom

C

cota

United States

ME

Manaal Eisa

Washington DC, United States

IV

Indira van Uyten

Neterlands Antilles

WE

Wendy Emlyn

Devon, United Kingdom

Emma

Australia

TH

tom hd

United Kingdom

M

Mart

United Kingdom

AK

Anita K

Maryland, United States

Isabella

UK, United Kingdom

Mark Grey

Redding, CT, United States

E

eriklonnroth

United Kingdom

GT

Gowan Tervo

United States

Aran Dunlop

United States

Jonathan Ely

Aldershot, United Kingdom

Douglas St Quintin

Sydney, Australia

A

Andrei

United States

Tobias Königs

Sancta Colonia Dei Gratia Romanae Ecclesiae Fidelis Filia, Germany

Christopher Hey

Sudbury, Canada

DM

Dimitri Malarme

Brussels, Belgium, Belgium

SH

Steven Huntington

London, United Kingdom

VS

Vicki Stewart

Charlotte, United States

D

Dermo

Dublin, Ireland

T

Tom

United States

Nick

Manchester, United Kingdom

V

Vidar

Oslo, Norway

P

Phips

Switzerland

I

isaac

United Kingdom

NG

Nick Gorrell

Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia

Julia Trigg

United Kingdom

RH

Robert Hamner

United States

SA

Steve A

Newbury, United Kingdom

Sinan Taifour

Munich, Germany, Germany

johannes

Taipei, Taiwan

Bart Vogelzang

Ladysmith BC, Canada

KG

Kate Goodwin

United States

L

Lucy

Australia

Martin Kraus

Traiskirchen, Austria

Craig Travis Provyn

Bradenton, Florida, United States

RR

Rory Rohloff

United States

Andrea

Rome, Italy

RS

Rich Stein

United States

MF

Mike Frawley

United States

JA

Joshua Axtell

United States

Day Family

Melbourne, Australia

Vratik Krocik

Prague, Czech Republic

A

Ayan

United States

BE

Bob Ewing

United States

Nadia Tuchman

New York City, United States

WM

Wei Min

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

SS

Sara Sobota

United States

Ken

Mequon, WI, United States

M

Mark

Toulouse, France, France

D

Dalton

San Francisco, United States

HCPSPIRIT

Helsinki, Finland

DW

David Westmoreland

Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States

Melissa K

Portland, Oregon, United States

S

Southbanker

Reading, United Kingdom

GS

Gary Sinard

Franklin, TN, United States

J

Jakub

Czech Republic

M

Mack

Harbor, Oregon, United States

TP

Tirzah Prince

United States

Emily

San Francisco, United States

Martha Fleury

Bethesda, MD, United States

JH

Joseph Hwang

Houston, United States

JC

Jordanna Chord

Kirkland, WA, United States

Katja

Switzerland

K

Katherine

United States

M

MounirCC

Antwerp, Belgium

Don Williams

New Zealand

Carrie

Arlington, MA, United States

Theo

Zürich, Switzerland

Mai Phuong Nguyen

Nashville, United States

L

lysander

Australia

RD

Roel De Meester

Antwerpen, Belgium

AM

Andy Marston

United Kingdom

J

JB

Germany

MN

Mau NA

United Arab Emirates

CJ

Chloe Jensen

United States

TD

Tim Duthie

United Kingdom

Nick Studenski

Minneapolis, United States

Remo

Switzerland

Ryan Agnew

Australia

DO

Denis Ontiveros

Guildford, United Kingdom

BR

Brian Rickman

United States

We Not Me

St. Paul, Minnesota, United States

Mustafa Kapsigay

Nusaybin, Turkey

C

Carol

Bayswater, WA, Australia

KM

Karen Marshall

Alice Springs, Australia

L

Lisa

United States

T

Tanvir

United States

Francesca

Scotch Plains - New Jersey, United States

Anke Baltussen

Utrecht, Netherlands

Kyra

Bussum, Netherlands

EA

Eric Ayers

Atlanta, United States

BP

Brian Piltz

United States

Michael Winter

Hessisch Oldendorf OT Rumbeck, Germany

MA

Maggie and M

United Kingdom

R

Roman

Germany

Cambium Foundation

Kirkland, United States

RS

Ralph Smyth

United Kingdom

Christine

Munich, Germany

GF

Gammon Family

United States

SS

Sean Sullivan

Austin, TX, United States

NB

Nikolaus Bührer

Karlsruhe, Germany

J

Jakub

United States

R

Rafael

Switzerland

AS

Alex Shapiro

United States

S

Sibyl

Basel, Switzerland

JA

Justin A

Fort Collins, United States

Claudius Brasil

United Kingdom

C

Cianna

United States

AN

Alex N

Australia

Sayuri

United Kingdom

Maria Lawler

United States

RT

Ravi Taxali

Markham, Canada

R

Ru

New York, United States

V

Vic

Finland

MC

Mike Cormack

Vancouver, Canada

S

Sebastian

Netherlands

A

Anonymous

United States

J

Jari

Finland

J

Jeremy

United States

H

HJ

Switzerland

Black and White Zebra

Vancouver, Canada

K

Karafa

United States

ZC

Zach Corum

United States

Utahna

United States

A

Anonymous

United States

M

Mirko

Yugoslavia

KM

Kirk Moore

Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain

K

Kyle

Australia

B

bert

Sweden

Денис

Кишинев, Moldova

B

Barbra

United States

Olly Ishmael

Aberystwyth, United Kingdom

RL

Robert L

United Kingdom

F

Fonz

United States

J

Judi

Canada

A

Anonymous

United States

AA

andria a

New York, United States

W

wisdom2080

Fullerton, United States

Ask Francis 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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  • Mårten    Dec 21, 2022

    How is it going Francis?

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  • Francis    Nov 23, 2021

    Business is slow and i have been unwell

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  • Francis    Nov 21, 2021

    The business has been slow lately and its affecting revenue collections. We are working on it to improve our repayments

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  • Francis    Sep 29, 2021

    Slow in business

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  • Francis    Aug 18, 2021

    The business has been affected by the COVID Pandemic

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  • Francis    Jul 20, 2021

    My city has been hit with the third wave of covid and it's affected the business due to the lockdown of the province.

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  • Francis    Jul 13, 2021

    Low sales due to lockdown and some orders have not arrived yet.

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  • Francis    Jun 27, 2021

    We have a national lockdown due to covid 19 and our stock of clean cookstoves have not yet reached our stores. will revert back to normal payment once things go back to normal. Thanks

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  • Francis    Jun 27, 2021

    There is national lockdown and our clients income has reduced drastically. We have a 21 days total lockdown with the raise in covid cases. will return to my normal repayments once this is lifted. Thanks for understanding and continued support.

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  • Francis    Jun 20, 2021

    Thanks for the Pay it Forward funds that I have raised. I will restock clean Cookstove inventory so that I reach more people. Thanks alot

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  • Francis    Jun 18, 2021

    The previous Pay it Forward of $49 helped me buy a smartphone to capture data for my customers who are buying clean cookstoves on the rent-to-own model. This is helping my business to efficiently run smoothly in a new district and helping to have customer information instantly.

    Thanks so very much!

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    • (Comment deleted by author)

      • Francis    Jun 18, 2021

        Hey laurie,

        Thanks so very much!

        Sure I will send an email to Julia and ask her.

        Thanks for your continued support!

        ZIKOMO. Thankyou

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  • Francis    Jun 17, 2021

    Dear Backers,

    Thanks so very much for the funds! I will buy a smartphone that will help me ensure that I capture all the information for my clean cookstoves customers who are buying on Rent to own model.

    I really appreciate you and thanks for your continued support!

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  • Francis    Jun 11, 2021

    Thanks so very much to all my backers for these funds! I will be buying a Smartphone to help with my field officer based in Lundazi to record customer's clients who are buying clean cookstoves on a rent-to-own model. This will help if clients record-keeping for after-sales service and also tracking of clients for repayment schedules.

    I really appreciate this and thanks a million!

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  • Francis    Jun 7, 2021

    Dear Lenders, Thanks so very much for the loan you lent me. I received the money and managed to order more solar lights and clean cookstoves. We have started the distribution to rural communities and we will keep you posted.

    Thanks again for lending to my social business.

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  • Francis    May 12, 2021

    Thanks so very much my lenders for lending me yet another loan! In two day I managed to have my loan fully funded! Zikomo. Thanks a million!

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  • Olly Ishmael    May 10, 2021

    Wonderful project. I wish you every success

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  • wisdom2080    May 10, 2021

    Keep up the great job! Hope you can sell other stuff to increase margins to help more-

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    • Francis    May 11, 2021

      You are very right and we are looking for other life-changing products that we can introduce to the communities we serve. Thanks for your support towards growing my business.

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  • Cianna    May 9, 2021

    All the best to you as you continue this important work!

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    • Francis    May 10, 2021

      Thanks so very much Cianna for your kind word and continued support!

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  • Francis    May 8, 2021

    Hello, my lenders,

    I want to thank all of you for your continued support. My success has been made possible because of your continued support and lending me money.

    The last microloan I got of ZMW20,000 helped me to distribute 450 clean cookstoves in Lundazi. The total revenue I made was ZMW112,500 in 3 months and managed to repay the loan and reinvest the other money in my building project for the family house.

    Through your support, I have grown my business and managing to take my two daughters to Private schools.

    I have managed to employ a total of 14 people who are working in my business and helping their families.

    You have helped me turn my ideas into reality and transform many people's lives in rural communities of Zambia.

    Thanks so much for your continued support and looking forward to working with you on my next microloan application.

    Zikomo! Thank you so very much!

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  • Francis    Apr 15, 2021

    Greetings to you my lenders,

    The past 2 months have been very interesting at Kukula Solar as we continue to distributing clean cookstoves and solar lamps to villages in Lundazi District. The smiles that we see in these villages are so infectious. Women and girls are happy that they no longer need to walk a long distance to collect firewood for cooking because the clean cookstoves we are selling to them use twigs and cow dung.

    Many rural households now have access to clean solar lighting, something that is helping the whole household.

    We at Kukula Solar are very happy with your continued support

    Thanks so very much and will continue to keep you updated on the developments.

    ZIKOMO! THANK YOU!



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