Project Updates

just me in my salon.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the lenders and the zidisha team at large.I am so grateful and indeed happy because since I joined zidisha I have been stress free.my business has really improve and getting more than 50% of what I was making before.My living standard has as well improved since I could not afford to live in an electricity house but I have moved to a better house.I have been able to make at least 80 to 100 dollars every week.

Good morning all my dear lenders.Today being on the Wednesday here in Kenya,the weather looks pretty sunny and cool.My family too are doing fine and my farm business is pushing hard to see that i feed the nation.Currently,my red onions are almost to be harvested and i expect good returns since all the customers across the nation are coming for the goods here.I am determined to see your success towards funding me being our success to all of us.Thank you so much.

Dear Lenders,
Zidisha is the best thing that ever happened to me. With the previous funding, I was able to increase my revenue by $80 last month after adding an extra computer in my cyber. I believe if I got more funding and bought a photocopier that is more efficient, I can make even more and my business will continue to expand. Last week I got an order to do 2000 photocopies and my small photocopier doesn't have the capacity. I plan to buy a more efficient photocopier machine to handle the ever growing demand from my customers.

Long live Zidisha. God bless you all!!

My manual machine

Samples of my Blocks

My site for nursery

I had the privilege of meeting Dickson Mutashe today in Kawanglare, a neighborhood of Nairobi. I am not the only one Dickson has welcomed with open arms. He is a Volunteer Mentor to over 50 other borrowers officially, as well as many unofficially who live nearby. After spending the afternoon with him, it became clear that Dickson is the type of person who is always willing to make time for everyone around him. Even while I was there, he was helping Isaac Othieno create his loan application.

Dickson has been a borrower of Zidisha for some time and with each loan has seen the Cyber Cafe expand. With his new computers he is able to offer several computer classes a day, employing two teachers who live nearby and teaching many locals who have never used a computer the basics of Microsoft Office and how to use the internet. His dream is to one day have a college or an institute where he can employ many members of the local community and provide computer education.

This dream was almost unimaginable ten years ago when Dickson moved from his village, Mumias, to Nairobi leaving behind his wife and family looking for work. Trained as an engineer, he saved money as a security guard, so he could one day be his own boss. Now, his family has long joined him and helps him out tremendously at work. Dickson uses the profits from his business to provide for them, especially in their own dreams. His eldest son, Frederick has just finished secondary school and is interested in studying human rights law, and Dickson's wife, Josephine, also has the same entrepreneurial spirit and desires to open a local shop selling household goods with the help of Zidisha.

Dickson thanks Zidisha tremendously, and shows this by helping others navigate the system by answering questions and offering moral support. It was such a pleasure visiting with him, and like the incredible host he is, he has invited me back for Ugali, a typical Kenyan dish of maize porridge. Yum!

Doing good

zidisha has real inspired me

zidisha has real inspired me

The loan also assisted me to clear my balance for my masters degree in business administration.I graduated in December, with the power of education i believe i will take my business to the next level.

thank you my dear lenders once more i was able to purchase a lactating goat with the money i was given as loan i believe God will help me achieve my dream through you.

my products ready for sale

still going on well

Hey guys, so far am good, last year being my final year in campus, i was tied up by my project research and other course work but thanks to your patience, i can now say this is the greatest online community ever. Having been through with campus am now entirely committed to my business ie self employment. Having bought the new HP MFP M175 colour printer am now enjoying the profit of good investments thanks to you again.

Thanks....

Hae Matt B sorry for the delay in uploading the photos but here they are.

Its a small room made of plywood panels but it has fed my family.Thank you Zidisha

still going on well and hope to do the best

Thank you so much for this much needed loan.The photo is me in my barbershop with a client,after shaving i apply methylated spirit on my clients heads to prevent infections.Some prefer a full head wash after a shave.

Today is a good day

my pic in my salon.

Zidisha team and my lenders has really helped me a lot for me to be where I am now i have gain recognition and and which zidisha team will keep on helping me.
Thanks a lot zidisha, this is some of the clothing I have produced

=========================================
"...thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement." You are so welcome, Immerculate! It is from the heart; it truly makes me happy to be able to help at least a few people in these ways. We all need encouragement, and sometimes financial assistance, too (as promised, I will continue to follow you in case you need another loan in the future, since your current loan was already fully funded when I found your profile).
=========================================
"With time i have really developed passion for organic farming, not really for monetary gains but for environment conservation and healthy food products for all." I'm so glad to hear you've developed a passion for organic farming, for environmental conservation and healthy food. I hope you will have monetary gains, too. There is nothing wrong with that, as every household needs monetary gain, at least enough to meet basic needs, plus a little extra, too. My wish is for your household eventually to be able to sustain itself without the need to go into any financial debt (actually, that is my wish for *every* household). Zidisha is so great (I'm sure you agree!) that at least any debt required for now can be obtained at very low interest rates, or even with no interest charged to lenders - as you already know, of course, but which I just discovered this past January! That's the way all lending should be. :-)
=========================================
"Welcome to my farm anytime you visit this great nation." Thank you, Immerculate! What a wonderful invitation. :-) I don't know whether or not I ever would be able to travel far from home again (the last time was nearly three decades ago, soon after my husband and I got married), but if I ever could, I would love to visit your farm! It would be great to meet you, and also to purchase and try some of your organic produce! When you can, would you consider posting some pictures of the crops you're growing?
=========================================
And, likewise, if you ever visit the U.S.A., you are welcome at our home, too, and I would show you my backyard vegetable garden and would share some of the produce with you. I grow produce in large pots on our back patio. My husband drills holes in the bottoms of the pots for drainage, and he made some simple wooden caddies so I can easily move the plants around. Following are a few pictures from 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 for you to see (some lettuce, zucchini, yellow squash, red bell pepper, baby tomatoes, radishes, green bell peppers, cantaloupe, Swiss chard, a flower on a cucumber plant, more zucchini, cucumber, Roma tomatoes, regular tomatoes, a bloom on a sweet-potato plant, jalapeño peppers, and more green bell peppers). (I'm not sure on Zidisha how to include a caption for each photo.) In the last picture, you can see two dragonflies enjoying being on the supports for one of the green bell-pepper plants. :-) 2014 unfortunately was not a good year for growing where we are, but thankfully all of the years prior to that (since 2006 when I began growing crops) were very good. Pray 2015 will be a good year for all of us - where we are and where you are, too. I am looking forward to warmer weather and the start of the growing season here. I look forward to seeing some of the pictures from your farm, too, sometime. Enjoy the work (it's the best kind!), and happy growing, Immerculate! :-)
=========================================

Thanks for letting us know, please do what you need to do for your family and yourself. People are more important than money. Do your best, and do what you can when you can.

This is my kid in her second year in preparatory school, thanks to the second loan i've just cleared her tuition fee for this term in school on time. thanks once again to the lenders who made it possible.

i take this time to thank my lenders and the support they gave me so far. the money i received from you enabled me to buy a refrigerator for the preservation of drinks. this has enabled me to offer quality services to my customers hence increasing my customer base.
this has led to the increase of my profits by around 15%.

Hi @Andrew i was able to buy the form one shirts and t shirts and i can say that the business is doing so fine ,actually i will be getting additional stock tomorow.
Regards
Dorcas Nene.

Hi DocHolliday'
Receive my warm greetings hoping that you are carrying out your daily chores in good condition. Here in Kenya am good despite this now our fourth week since the school reopen .Therefore , receive my big thanks for your wonderful financial support you me to purchase school learning materials it has been of good and positive impact because the student got everything is set ready to learn bravo my Brother and ihope to settle my loan on time so that i borrow big amount so i do purchase lockers chairs for my student. Thanks once again for your concern .Bye God bless the work of your hand abundantly.
Edwin Marumbu.

I want to thank the lenders for the good work done.i was able to purchase a laminating machine and the business is good.I am now able to do lamination of all types of documents.Thanks for giving me an opportunity.

I would like to add on an extra machine to avoid cue in my business. Thanks to all

Thanks to All who participated into my achievement, my business has increased due to availability of more car wash accessories which has attracted more customers to my business.

young piglets in the open service

growing day by day

My new stock of Khanga (leso).

Hello My Lendaers, first is to thank you for funding me and been there for me.
Second i want to inform you that the loan you funded me have help me. I bought food for my cows and i was able to earn more. I pay by loan with the profit i get from my cows. During the period of my loan payment one of my cow got weak had to sell it , after sometime the one with a wound on the leg got worse had to sell it to.
The amount i got after selling plus my profit i brought another cow , that have given me a calf after two month and getting 15 litres of milk from my new cow. i now have three daily cows and four calves. Thanks to my lenders.

some of the hair braids i sell and use to attend my customers

This a section of my store. Thank you Zidisha lenders your loan enabled me add more bags of animal feeds as you can see in this photo.

These feeds are measured into small quantities to customers

cabbage before thy are supplied to my consumers

kales after being used while sold

tomatoes ready for sale

Offering services to my customers while inside the shop

this are some of the products i supply at a close range

Trying to arrange the products

in my shop as i try to looks for customers products requested

this is me displaying my products some of my products that i sell

I was able to get a CPU, ex UK dual core, 320GB ram at sh. 10,000. I had a monitor already. I also got a deal with Zuku internet providers which is cheaper and faster. My outsourcing job has already commenced. I wish to add another computer so that I can start a movie selling business on the side.

Hello Zidisha Org.
I Would like to inform you that the peanut roasting machine is almost complete except for a few things which has not been fixed yet. Once the machine is complete i will take a picture and show you how it works. Thank you so much again for your assistance.

Outside my barbershop Stylez-Gold with a friend who is also a Zidisha member and mentor