Project Updates

Thankful to all zidisha family

Am so grateful and so happy with zidisha. i was able to take my son to a new school and buy the requirements like uniform and even materials do to the window curtains

Mushroom growing site

The same type of chicken inside their cages.

Good morning all, thank you to all the lenders who helping my "Nawra Shop".

I used my load to purchase and equip my shop, there are beauty tools, mobile card and cologne. So my customer have many option to buy in my shop. In public holiday, i'm work at my shop to serve customer.

I really appreciate for my lender. Thank you and God bless you.

- Hani -

just relaxing after my break at my shop siting in front of my house
now i can say that soon the money will be disbursed to me

George...
I am so happy for you, congratulations on your business operation permit, this is wonderful, now you are on your way and next all of Ghana... wow!!! I knew you would do it ... you are such a inspiration to me, everything you have set out to achieve you have done it, follow your dreams and look what happens. I am very excited for you .... you will go far in life my friend. I am happy your feeling good and life is treating you well. I can only imagine how many people you will help.... your awesome George!
Lorey Brown
Shealady

Hi Dear Lenders,
I am so glad and thankful that I am able to write this you today. This is to inform that I was able to purchase a Glucometer which I bought at KES 5000($56) and strips to be used with it at KES 1800($20) and Pregnancy test kits at $24, this will enable me to offer more tests in my laboratory to serve my community gladly
. Thanks all. God Bless you all. I will keep you posted on my progress.

Today was my second meeting with Isaac. It's great to see that he has received his loan and bought the spare parts for his motorcycles. However today I went for a different reason.

Last time I wrote that Isaac is the chairman for Tuinane, a group of local businessmen and women who meet weekly in order to pull together resources to obtain loans and exchange ideas. Isaac invited me to their weekly meeting and it was a very interesting experience. Isaac lead the meeting introducing me and two members of a microfinance bank that dispurse loans to groups. The interesting part was one of the loan officers told me that he had applied for Zidisha, since he could not obtain a loan from the very bank he works for. Why? Because he lacks any tangible assets. Score for Zidisha!

During the meeting a lot of money was collected as group members paid the treasurer of the gorup their weekly installment. Banks will lend to groups like this rather than individuals isnce there is more accountability. Group members make sure other group members pay.

Isaac spoke mainly in Swahili, but we switched to English when it was my turn to talk about Zidisha. Only Isaac was a member of Zidisha, and he very much encouraged the others to apply after my presentation. It was a very successful meeting and I am looking forward to hearing from these potential new members in the near future. Isaac was great at managing the group and being encouraging and supportive. Thank you Isaac for spreading the word and supporting Zidisha!

My name is Kerry and I am a Client Relationship Intern for Zidisha in Nairobi, Kenya. Today I had the opportunity to meet Nancy, a new Zidisha member living and working in the suburb Kawangware of Nairobi.

Nancy was extremely welcoming. She met me in the center of the neighborhood and walked me to her house. When we arrived, she immediately rushed out to buy a Coca Cola so she could offer me something to drink. Nancy is used to taking care of people. She is the eldest of six siblings ranging from six years old to thirty. She is also the mother of a sixteen year old daughter who she had at the age of fourteen. Her mother and siblings still live a ten dollar bus ride (which is expensive here) from Nairobi in the town of Mumias. She has been helping to support her mother, since their father walked out on the family years ago. Here in Kenya, it's the oldest child's responsibility to take care of the parents, and Nancy accepts it whole heartedly. She also visits them around every three months.

Nancy met her current husband at Church around six year ago. He is a carpenter that specializes in interior fitting - making cabinets for kitchens. Nancy is very proud of him and showed me some photos of his work, which was impressive. He has also used Zidisha for a loan and helped his wife to apply for hers as well. Nancy decided that she wanted to sell clothing for her small business venture. Why? "Because clothing doesn't rot," she said, "like a tomato or mango". She began hawking her clothing, which means selling without a storefront. She soon discovered baby and childs clothing was the most popular commodity, so she decided to specialize in that. Nancy sells to her friends and acquaintances, which can be challenging since most time she takes a partial payment of cash and the rest credit. This means she has to come by their houses at a later date to receive the rest of the money. She goes to the main market once a week to buy the clothing and then sells it all during the week. The profits from the business go to her daily means, and any extras to her mother and the rest of the family. Income fluctuates quite a bit, but Nancy is very hopeful.

I couldn't help asking if baby clothes also have something to do with perhaps wanting another child. Her daughter is living and working at her Aunt's salon in another part of town. Nancy said her and her husband pray for a baby. I asked which she would prefer, a girl or a boy? She said, this time for sure a boy. Here's to hoping that she will be able to outfit a son some day soon.

Awesome encounter with my first loan. Guess what? as little as 3517 KES I managed to purchase 15 pairs of ladies shoes which amazingly is going like hot cake. my profit margin is tremendously increasing and within a week I have doubled my stock. Bravo Zidisha.

part of the shop stocks purchased with the help of Zidisha Loan

I have had a problem in cropping my photo but I hope this Photo in this comment can as well work.
Regards.

Merci chers prêteurs de visiter mon magasin a travers quelques photographies effectuées a votre attention.

i wish to thank every member of zidisha team for there continued support, am almost through with my second loan repayment and looking forward to request for the third loan,
we had a wonderful Christmas holiday with my family n started 2015 well, i hope u too are fine
the business for the last two months has been very slow and i cant tell the reason why but op it will pick in march
i just want to share with you the photo of me n my daughter during Christmas holiday n some of the things i make in my shop wish to hear from you too soon
one photo i took with Liz who was sent by zidisha team to come and check on my business and see how i was doing.
that was last year in september,

Thank you soo much

I must say am so grateful to my lenders and to all the zidisha fraternity. My previous loan has really helped me meet the requirements for my son's education. I was transferring him to another school so i was able to get new uniforms, shoes socks and school fees. on top of that i was able to buy materials for curtains. am so thankfull.

thank guys for coming to my rescue, I Now have another person to assist me undertake this great work, business is good. now my next venture shall be buying a new desktop to establish a cyber cafe

Morning my friendly lenders. just wanted to let you know that through the profit I got from your lending, i managed to buy several text books and learning charts for my first born boy who graduated from baby to middle class in a nearby pre unit. Thanks be to the Almighty for enabling you to bring us this far.may God bless the entire zidisha team. good and blessed day.

I have paid part of my fees thank you Lenders

Dear Lenders,

I had to go pretty far in the north of Ghana and visit some elephants on the way, but I finally got to meet Godwin last week in Bolgatanga. The capital of the Upper East region in northern Ghana, Bolga is relatively small but boasts the bustle and energetic feel of a much larger city. I met Godwin in his home where he lives near his mother’s Spot, or local bar, and his brothers. He is soft-spoken and responsible – the oldest of three and, since their father passed away three years ago, a provider as well.

Godwin got his degree in computer science but after spending his national service year as a teacher, realized he had found his calling: a place where he could use his skills to help the community he grew up in. Now he teaches ICT skills in a village just outside of Bolga – an area that struggles to find qualified computer teachers.

Although many students only have access to technology at school, even that doesn’t amount to much. The few computers that schools do have are out of date, occasionally in disrepair, and can’t access the internet. Adding further challenge, there are so few of them that as many as eight students have to crowd around each screen during class. Godwin does what he can in borrowing friends’ laptops to use at the school and repairing equipment pro bono. But he wants to establish a cyber café near the school to offer students internet access and the opportunity to gain the technological skill necessary if they want to keep up with the industry.

Godwin has used his first Zidisha loan to help him repair and sell computer hardware, which he does in his spare time in his office. This extra income helps him keep his youngest brother in school while also saving up to contribute to a proper computer center to serve the community and local students. He admits that when he heard about Zidisha from his friend, he thought it was a joke. But having put his first loan into action, Godwin is incredibly grateful for the support of his lenders and very excited for the future. I had a great, albeit too short, stay in Bolga and am glad to have met Godwin. We wish him the best!

Taylor
Ghana Country Ambassador
Zidisha

I am most grateful to Zidisha lenders for putting me in business.
Myself n my shop serving a customer.

Thanks for what you converted me to

This is the food warmer after purchase

I used my first loan to purchase this incubator pictured below and feed for my current stock.

My name is Kerry and I am a Client Relationship Intern for Zidisha in Nairobi. Today I had the opportunity to meet Paul Okun, a leather worker in Nairobi. Paul is new to Zidisha and just received his first loan, which has enabled him to purchase a curve cutting machine. This allows him to cut leather leaving a rounded edge instead of just relying on his scissors which produce a square edge.

Paul was born and raised in Spring Valley, a neighborhood of Nairobi. He still lives on the compound that he and his six brothers and sisters were raised in. In fact, Paul, his mother, and four of his siblings and their families still live in the compound. It can feel very crowded and this may be why his father relocated upcountry to his village of Oyugis. Paul credits the success of his business to his father, since he has always pushed him and helped him financially.

After high school, Paul's grades weren't good enough to study at college, not that he was too interested anyway. He realized he was more interested in working with his and hands and different materials. Together with a colleague, they began building crafts from computer designs. This turned building and apolstering furniture. Paul would sell wooden chairs from his father's compound, however since the competiton was fierce, he began producing leather products like folders and coasters. He secured his first big deal with Zehineria Hotel in Westlands. He made them their menu folders, later coasters and eventually Zehineria asked Paul to make 200 conference pads for business meetings. Below are photos of all these products.

Only yesterday, with the purchase of the curve cutting machine, Paul secured a deal with Kenya Scout to make 10,000 scouts, which are used to hold women's head scarves together at the base of the neck. This is a huge deal, and it is thanks to Paul and his charisma and persistence, but also to Zidisha lenders. Without the machine, Paul could not have produced the curved edges needed for the scouts.

In the future, Paul is looking to continue securing contracts with this company to produce pouches and belts. He wants to use these profits and loans from Zidisha to purchase more machines like a laser engraving machine and hole punching machine. This way he can avoid outsourcing. LIke a true businessman he wants to control all lines of production. This will aslo lead to hiring more employees. Already with the new deal he his able to bring his orphaned cousin to Nairobi from upcountry. The cousin will work for him and in return Paul will provide room and board and pay for his college fees.

After his meeting with me, Paul was headed to Kibera, the largest slum in Nairobi. There he works with small business owners to teach them how to market their products. He also plans on spreading awareness of Zidisha. The next time we meet, I will check out his workshop in a neighborhood outside of Nairobi. I am leather lover, so I plan on doing some shopping.

Hi lenders,

Am grateful to all who supported my loan because my profit has increased approximately by 70% and I want to use partly to buy more utensils so that more customers can be served well. Thanks Zidisha lenders !

The pit latrine you saw last week now has slab put on it.it actually costed me Ksh.15,000.Now i have my eyes fixed upon repaying the loan as well as looking for other means of putting up the walls,floors,doors,urinals and painting before the kids start using the new toilet.Actually the project will cost Ksh.60,000.Thank you zidisha and my lenders one more time for investing in our life,more so for helping us address one of the biggest challenges of our time.(equal, affordable and modern education for all )

Thank you for posting the picture! That's great that you were able to put the shop on Google Maps, hopefully this helps your business to grow even more!
Let me know if you do decide to create a website at some point, my husband and I would love to see it, and possibly help with content editing if you would like. I used to work for a company that improved the content of clients' websites, and I work as a translator/editor now, so I would be happy to help at no cost if you would like. The offer is there, so feel free to ask if you are interested, whenever you are ready :)

a mother pig with her piglets feeding in an open area. This is the best i trust in the flock for her good mothering ability

Just added three more plastic chairs, once more just to say thank you to all zidisha staff and lending persons. for now have bought eight plastic chairs.

Thank you to zidisha, I love what am doing through your help. I serve my customers with respect and hey enjoy my services. After buying chairs? customers enjoy my services.

And these others are a compilation of photos inside and during the services of daily basis in the same place and some of my workers as they try to serve my customers in the respective place.

This evening I am so excited and so happy. Whoever thinks Zidisha is a myth should just come and experience this. That I have my loan approved, funded and disbursed in such a short time - I do not have enough words to thank the Zidisha community.
Thanks to all the lenders who made this my loan come through.
Special regards to Hedwich who has been in the front line of all my 3 loans. Thanks Hedwich and all the other lenders for the much confidence you have had in me.
I already bought the amaranthus seed and the first ground is ready for planting. 2 other portions of land are in the process and should be ready in the course of the week.
Concerning my community activities at Zidisha I am glad to be availed the opportunity to be a VM and I already have 5 assigned members. Since I cannot pay back the goodness I have received from Zidisha, this is the only way - to help others benefit from the resources available at Zidisha.

Zidi the cow

Hello Amos,

I am happy to share recent good fortune with you. I am a gardener ans grow tomatoes each season, as well as other vegetables. Sometimes I'm successful, sometimes things could be better.

Good luck with your garden.

Ed Sikorski

My Potatoes

The chicks relaxing in their coop.

This is me with my brood of one and a half weeks. They will be ready in four weeks time.

My son Morgan is now in class 2 and the increased earnings are helping me even pay for his school fees.Attached is his photo he was happy too when i told him about Zidisha

Now my knee can move with less pain

Hi lenders.. this is to update you on positive change, an idea that i got after i received the cash, I got a client who needed internet at his house and considering the fact that he lives in an apartment which is at a far distance to where my current internet coverage radius was, i bought a second hand WAP and i used it to pull internet and set up an up WI-FI around that area, I am happy that i have now connected 3 more clients which is an extra income to me. The clients are happy that they can now surf at home and work online from home. I am much grateful to zidisha fraternity.. Thanks alot team!

Hi Lenders.
Here is a photo of myself at at the gate of the country's leading Seed Company when I went to buy seeds.
Again, thanks for the funds.

This are the items i managed to purchase which costed $27.50

A larger photo of my stall

Me in my shop.I will post the new photos soon.A Zidisha mentor helped me put the shop on google map.Styles Gold barbershop in Bungoma.Hope i can open a website and be ahead of others too

I would like to thank Zidisha for their support towards my project
I wish to improve my chicken rearing project, The photos shows the structure i have built to house 500 chicken

Zidi the cow

still at shop

SERVING CUSTOMERS IN MY SHOP IS THE FIRST PRIORITY AND THIS IS MY WEALTH I LIKE AND LOVE MY JOB.