Solar lanterns for women & girls
Francis Mbewe
Chipata, Zambia
100% repaid
Entrepreneur
Name
Francis Mbewe
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
I plan to continue distributing solar lamps to women and girls during this rain season so that they can finish paying for the solar lamps when they harvest. We plan with the amount to be loaned, I will buy 20 solar home systems and distribute to women. I The solar lamps will give me a profit increase of 27% by the time of repaying the loan.
The impact of this loan will be more on women and girls will will be able to cook under a clean source of light and girls able to study for longer hours. The families will also be able to save money by switching from kerosene usage to solar lamps. The saved money will can be used to improve their family nutrition, pay for their children school fees and also buy uniforms and school shoes.
The other impact will be on the environment. With 20 solar lamps distributed, over 600Kg of CO2 emission will be avoided.
Families will save over $1,400 in 12 months of switching and over 29,200 extra hours of light will be available for women and girls, helping them to be productive!
My Videos
Jan 18, 2021: Impacting lives using zidisha loans
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Loan Info
Project Type
Classic Loan
Disbursed amount
$1,292.46
Date disbursed
Dec 4, 2019
Repayment status
Late
Projected term
14 months
Cost to entrepreneur
Service fee: $44.84
Credit risk payment:
$224.37
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Kirk Moore Jul 9, 2021
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