Project Updates

the last loan given i bought feeds for my rabbits and constructed another house for my young rabbits because they could not stay together with the big ones. my increased earnings i used them to take my son to form one and also to pay school fees for my young son. to my family members i was able to help them with some cash when need arose.

My name is Kerry and I am a Client Relationship Intern for Zidisha in Nairobi, Kenya. Today I had the opportunity to meet Jacqueline, a strong independent businesswoman living in Nairobi.

Jacqueline and I met downtown next to her day job where she works as a saleswoman for Dynapharm, a company specializing in natural herb ingredients. This is a networking sales job where employees are encouraged to sell their products as if its their own business earning commision. Jacqueline excels at her job, however some months are better than others, so she is a self described "Multi-tasker" and has been pursuing other business interests as well.

A year ago Jacqueline found that a fertilizer from Dynapharm helped plants grow well organically. She approached a friend who is a farmer and asked him to use the fertilizer. Then she set up meetings with her local chain supermarket, Tusky's, to sell them the organic tomatoes and onions that her friend was growing. The supermarket was very interested since marketing products as organic is starting to become more enticing to customers here in Kenya. This has been a profitable relationship and Jacqueline is proud of her business skills which have proctored this deal. She is also thankful to Zidisha lenders for helping her to stock inventory of the fruits and vegetables so she can continue selling them to the supermarket.

Jacqueline hopes that as she continues to borrow from Zidisha and pay off the loans, she will increase her credit limit to the amount of 200,000KES in order to afford to build her own green house and grow the fruits and vegetables herself. This way she can control all levels of supply.

She also has a third business venture. She has invested in an onine company that is doing well and therefore giving her small weekly returns. She says she is living a comfortable live which makes her very happy since as single mother she is able to provide for her 2 and a half year old son."It's why I wake up in the morning. He motivates me", she told me over coffee. While she is out purusing her career, he stays at a daycare near their home.

Jacqueline is doing well, thanks in part to Zidisha, and looks for ways to give back. Her fourth and for now final project, she volunteers for an organization Good Hope, which helps women start their own businesses and teaches them how to save. Jacqueline was introduced by a friend, and helps teach the classes and offers support. The church funds the women loans and has them pay back after they make profits from their kiosks and over the course of three months as they save, they can triple the amount of the next loan. Over the course of the two years she has volunteered, Jacqueline has seen these women be able to now send their children to school and provide for their families.

We said goodbye since Jacqueline had to run off and collect goods from the store to sell them to her customers. She is a busy woman, but somehow she still makes it home at 5pm to cook dinner. Her favorite dish is Pilau, a rice and meat dish from Kenya. She also likes to travel, spend time in nature, swim and go to the dance hall. She is a superwoman.

Hi my lenders,thank you so so much for having provided funds to me when i was in need.i was able to purchase the calculators and several learning materials and supplied .now they have made the payment and very soon ill be adding more of the items ready for the next supply.its great that i associated with you God bless you .

Dear lenders, I was pleasantly surprised to see the first loan you gave me. It came at a much needed time. Thank you.

I sincerely appreciate working with you in Zidisha team. Am able to buy mature pigs and sell at a higher price, making a profit for my living and loan payment. I assure you I will do my best to merit the trust you've placed in me.
God bless you. thanks!

Dear wonderful Lenders and Zidisha, in fact I really appreciates your support of expanding my Mobile Money Business. I have bought extra
two Mobile phones for other Mobile Money networks, which include Tigo
Cash and Airtel Money.Thank you very much for your support.
My customers are also feeling comfortable when they come to me and transact.

Hi Zidisha and my dear lenders.Its me Kundu D Mwanziia, i am so happy that you trusted me again to help me achieve my goals.I am glad that i received the second loan early this morning of Tuesday March 10th.I am excited to be able to make another step with your help.The first loan enabled me to strengthen my motorbike and i even managed to boost my savings for buying a new one.I hope to be able to do it in two months.I finally bought my small sister an Oxford dictionary,the kind she always wanted,she was so happy she cried.I never had tat chance but i'm glad i can make it happen for her.My brothers are doing well in school and i am able to pay their school fees now that my motorbike is stronger and i have increased my earnings.I am shopping for pay-a-ride bicycles which i will add to my list of transport machines and will save the money earned from these to go towards clearing my two brothers education.I also boosted my wifes vegetable stall and she may move into her own shop in a month.I am so happy and have never been so thrilled.I had been turned away by the banks which charge very high interests on loans but i am glad i found people whom i can confide in and who can help me reach my goal faithfully.I hope to do bigger things and firmly get my family out of poverty.I am especially so happy for my small sister,i am her parent now and will do anything for her.Thank you lenders.Every positive thought and deed towards others is a blessing that changes whole families and villages.

Thank you so much my lenders. This is how I started spending the money that you lent me:
I bought two goats- one pregnant she-goat, that cost me about kshs. 5000 ( about 63 dollars), and a he-goat that cost me kshs. 6500 ( about 81 dollars). The she- goat is indigenous and the he-goat is a cross-breed one.

I have a the best way of selling my books, it is through youth trainings! this is magnificent!

Dear lenders.
I appreciate you for the effort that you made to fund my first loan proposal. I thank God because the loan helped me so much to realize my dream.I bought cosmetic for my beauty shop which at long last increased my income at a double rate.that is why i was able to repay my loan on time.Therefore am coming to you again, Kindly find a good reason to fund me again. I am humbled to be associated with you guys!thanks..

Zidisha loan helped me buy water tanks -Since i have plenty of water i'm currently doing my modeling of my clay brooder heaters for warming chicks,clay rabbit drinkers and feeders at the comfort of my home .I have also set a small demonstration farm to show my customers on the best use of my clay rabbit products.Water expenses now very minimal -that money goes to other uses like you can see! Community around knows they have a place to learn about best tips on poultry and rabbit keeping.Sometimes in future i would need a motorbike for easy movement when i need to reach my customers during delivery of my items.

thank you so much zidisha team, my sister now has joined high school at ST. PETER'S HIGH SCHOOL. i never thought she could make it due to the poverty line we had in our family, but i thank zidisha lenders for all this, for their loan has made my business to cater for all this due to profit increase and investments. God bless you zidisha lenders.

I am very grateful this day because of the loan the last loan helped me so much i bought a motor bike which i use to transport people and goods and so it has increased my income for family it has also helped me to pay school fees from that income. During this dry season many people around my area do not have water i am also using the motor bike to to fetch water and that is also added income for my family, now for new loan i know it will help me to boost my business. I take this opportunity to thank the Zidisha lenders for the loan. Thank you very much

To lenders and zidhisa thanks to a loan that you have provided, it has been my life loan increase business capital of purchasing procurement of Surabaya has arrived 2 days ago.

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Kepada para pemberi pinjaman dan zidhisa terima kasih dengan pinjaman yang telah anda berikan, pinjaman itu sudah saya pakai menambah modal usaha yaitu pembelian pengadaan barang dari Surabaya telah tiba 2 hari yang lalu.

Dear lenders,it amazing how my first loan has improved my boutique business.The overwhelming news is that Lenders on zidisha platfotm have really been helpful to me.Who on this earth would fund an unknown borrower?,absolutely nobody,yet my lenders took the risk to fund my $100 loan.I say am greatful to you all and will never let you down.Business is doing amazingly awesome.
As a young Marketing graduate I am always identifying new business opportunities. I have currently left my boutique business to a brother of mine in Ghana for about two weeks nows,I am currently in Togo to purchase electronic gadgets like Home Theaters,laptops etc for one of my new business.
infact it all courtesy zidisha.I need more money to invest into my new business and so therefore I thank God I have maintained a 100% credit rating to enable me apply for quite a higher loan for my new business.

Thank you once again zidisha team and all the lendours for the help you are giving small business men like us keep growing, my business is growing and that I can see now a better future. I used the loan to buy stock of maize flour of15 us dollars, cooking fat of 5 us doll, one grade of soda and juice at a cost of 10 us dollars and and the remaining 10 us dollars for buying potatoes.The profit increased by 200 Kenya shillings that about 2 us dollars per day, the profit I got help me to pay the remaining school fees, thank you zidisha.

I have enjoyed the loan thanks to Zidisha, my stationary went up and has resulted into steady cash flows into the business. The business has improved significantly and am hoping that the next loan will expand the station and machine to take technology to the next level. Thanks Zidisha you build the dreams.

let me start by thanking the zidisha community for the support they gave me by lending me the money. i invested the money wisely as i had planned- renting a shop, increasing new inventory and employing somebody to run my home supplies shop for me. this has really boosted my business as i am now able to earn double the initial profit. this can be seen from my ability to settle the first loan without any challenges. i confidently take this chance to place the second application as my business has proofed to be able to make enough profit for reinvestment, paying shop rent, paying the attendant and above all repaying the loan successfully. it is improving really fast, thank you again and again. may the lord bless you abundantly, to help people the more.

My name is Kerry Tiedeman and I am a Client Relationship Intern for Zidisha in Nairobi, Kenya. Today I had the opportunity of meeting with Nelson, the waste management extradorinaire at his office just outside of Nairobi.

Nelson has been working in Waste Management since he was seven years old and sorted trash out of dump sites to sell food remnants to people rearing pigs and other item for some money. He is originally from Dandora, an estate with one of the biggest dump sites in Kenya. He continued with waste management in highschool when he realized what the trash was doing to the environment. He began an organization called the Domestic Garbage Collection Services with ten of his classmates. They began by serving the municipal county voluntarily, since the county itself was not doing the job well. The municipal lent out their trucks and Nelson and his group set up bins and went about collecting the trash when the bins were full. The people in the community grew to depend on this service and soon the organization became a business and they began charging them a monthly service fee. Nelson is a true entrepreneur, he created a need and then began charging.

During this time period, Nelson applied for a 3 month course on waste management given by the United Nations and was accepted. He said the course had a huge impact on how he operates his business. He learned how he should be collecting the trash as well as the payment. Nelson continued with the business in Dandora, until a local cartel demanded payoffs. He denied them and conflict began. He said there was gunshots and people were hurt, so he decided to move himself and his business to Nairobi.

Starting all over again was a huge challenge. And in the beginning he sold Mandazis (fried dough) in the mornings while providing security services to apartment buildings at night to earn the capital for starting the business again. Now, Nelson has not only restarted the business, but grown it to the point where he has joined up with 20 other waste management owners in two areas of Nairobi to form Githukah. This way, since they are all private companies, they are more secure if the government comes in to regulate business. Now there is official documentation and agreements.

I walked with Nelson on his runs to deliver the plastic bags he distributes to his customers as well as collect money. He has great relationships with all his customers and it was fun to walk around with them. He told me, "It's going to get hot" since we were walking during the high sun in his village. I told him I can handle it, though my skin has a harder time with it. (I'm very pale). We also visited his wife and baby girl. Next to his home is his stall, where he sells plastic to companies that crush it and reuse it for new materials. He also buys the plastic from kids like his 6 year old self. He uses a weight scale that he purchased with the help of Zidisha Lenders. He also used the loan from Zidisha to pay for the stall space where he sells the plastic. There wasn't any left when I visited, since the broker had just picked up all the plastic the day before. Nelson is waiting for the check, but all a good sign that business is doing well. He hopes that with more loans from Zidisha he will be able to purchase a plastic crusher machine and a molding machine, so he can stop selling plastic and actually manufacture new items like cups and child's toys.

Nelson also volunteers his time for a USAID project that empowers local youth. While walking around we met some other members who work on the project. And at Nelson's house while i was playing with his adorable daughter he showed me a brochure of what they do. Nelson has a lot of projects and a lot of energy. He wanted to make sure I saw every aspect of his business as well as the different shops in his neighborhood. We ate at a great local spot. I told him it was the longest amount of time I had ever spent with a borrower. So now the record is 5 hours. This was 5 hours very well spent!

My name is Kerry and I am a Client Relationship Intern for Zidisha in Nairobi, Kenya. I had the opportunity to meet Theresia on the outskirts of Nairobi at her elementary school last week.

I was very excited to see her school. It can be especially fun, because being a visiting foreigner, the kids are usually very excited to see you and have a story to tell, since it's not every day they see a "Mzungu". This day did not disappoint. I met Theresia and I introduced myself to each classroom. There were many giggles from the 205 students ranging from ages of 3 to 12.

Theresia has been a teacher since 1998 after moving to Nairobi from Kisumu County in western Kenya. She worked a private school for a couple years and then received her ECDE (Early Child Development Education) while working at the same time. Then in 2011 she continued her education and received her college diploma.

Theresia began theschool in 2001 with her salary from the private teaching job. She saw the need for a school in the community she lived that was more affordable for the local families. Her school is private, but the fees are 800KES/month, which is a little less than $10. Public schools in Kenya are few and far between so Theresia has provided a great option for the members of her community.

She began the school with one employee and five children. One of the five students has done so well that she was awarded a scholarship for a prestigious national school from Equity Bank, a company which will sponsor her all the way through University. Theresia feels extremely proud of her former student and has been slowly adding grades since those five preschoolers. This is in large part due to the help of Zidisha lenders. She has used her loans to increase the number of classrooms and accomodate more children and now employs 10 teachers. She hopes with furthur loans she will be able to build a second story and add more classrooms. The school is growing with the kids.

Theresia has taken a piece of land and created a community. It is easy to see how she is capable of doing this. She is warm and caring. We visited her house which is next door to the school. She offered me one of her chickens, (I said I had nowhere to keep it) and while I was there some of the school children came over and she gave them cups for water. I was even able to get a ride back to town with her brother in his police bus. I left during recess, and all the children were outside playing on the giant field next to the classrooms. They looked very happy.

My name is Kerry Tiedeman and I am a Client Relationship Intern for Zidisha in Nairobi, Kenya. Today I had the opportunity of meeting Joshua at his art studio just outside of Nairobi County.

Joshua has worked as an artist for over twenty years. He moved to Nairobi in 1989 o look for work from Kisumu, which is city in Western Kenya. When Joshua moved he found a job painting at African Heritage, which began in 1973 as a producer and seller of African handicraft and artwork. After years of working for different outlets painting and constructing different types of handicrafts, he finally opened his own studio partnering with a friend he met at African Heritage.

Joshua and his partner Samson's studio is on the roof of an apartment building in the outskirts of Nairobi. It has an incredible view of the surrounding neighborhood. It's a small shed and walking in there are olive tree and sandstone bowls, giraffe pencil holders, spoons, vases and many other handicrafts all either already painted or awaiting for either Joshua, Samson or Samson's cousin to paint them with incredible designs of animals and African sunsets.

Normally Joshua and his partner receive orders from art brokers which then sell the items at local and international markets to tourists. In order to finance the purchase of the bowls or spoons, Samson would have had to depend on advances from the brokers, which made it easier for brokers to pay them lower prices for the items. Fortunately with the help of Zidisha lenders, Joshua can purchase the items beforehand and have more control over setting prices. This is leading him and his partner to think of cutting out the middlemen and head to the markets on their own, as well as find international buyers. (So if anyone is interested) Their pieces can be custom made and are truly beautiful. Before I left the studio I had ordered two bowls and asked them to paint a specific design I had seen on their other pieces and they happily obliged. They also have a blog and facebook page to attract buyers.

Joshua's wife also is an entreprenuer and with the profits from his studio and the cybercafe she runs, they are able to support their children. It was actually his wife, Dorkas who introduced him to Zidisha. She met a former Client Relationship Intern in a financial meeting. Dorkas is from the coast and since I had just come back from Mombasa, we talked about the great food and the beautiful sea. She met Joshua here in Nairobi at church. I am starting to think I need to go to church because so far that is where the majority of the borrowers I have met have met their significant others.

Both Joshua and Dorkas are optimistic about their businesses and hope to grow and expand them. They are very grateful to Zidisha lenders for helping the purchase the materials they need to run sucessful businesses.

This is me with my loved ones after attending church .

Hi lender i thank you all for making my business grow. Out of buying the digital camera have started printing photos using my Epson stylus RX 620 an out of what i get from printing passports , 4 by 6 photos, clients always ask for A4 size.This made me to start buying few photo frames which are selling well. All this have increase my income by about 14 dollas in a week. Am looking forward for the next loan which am now planning to buy more photo flames in bulk so that i get the flames at a wholesale price which is cheaper than buying at retail price. Again God bless you all

I did not anticipate that the funds would have such an impact in my life and that of the orphaned children, but am glad it has. The shed that I built is very accessible and I spend most of my working days there. The children are happy because they can now buy books and some supplies that they need for school and a few other items. Am glad to report that the business is doing good and is impacting those it intended to reach in the best way possible. Thank you to my lenders and it is my hope that it grows more.

Hurray! I managed to clear my loan and am so happy that all went well without me straining at all whatsoever. My work has improved tremendously and I have been able to increase my sales up by 60% and am so busy throughout the week. The extra earning has enabled me to pay for my son's two school trips this term comfortably to Nyeri town on friday last week Ksh. 3,500/= and Kisumu town on 16th March Ksh4,500/= (along with pocket money) since he is a scout and he travels for functions with the school. Thank you so much all my lenders from the bottom of my heart and surely my life has turned for better by a big margin. Many blessings your way!

Am very grateful for zidisha and lenders for the opportunity they offered me with loan service. Surely the loan has really boosted my business because I was able to add one computer into my computer services shop. now this computer is being used by the customers who finds me busy typing i.e projects for universities students and they want to type for themselves i charge them depending with the time they have used and also printing. this has really increased my daily earning and i know through Zidisha i will reach to my goals of operating a cyber at Kikuyu. my desire is complete my loan before my expected due date because i want to add another computer soon and very soon. May Almighty bless you and thank you so much I REALLY APPRECIATE

I appreciate your assistance in funding my business, I purchased ; 15 socket outs for $24.45, 20 one gang switches for $16.30, 15 two gang switches for $ 22.82, 40 lamp holders for $36.95 ,
These items have made a big improvement in the flow of the repair job i now get, and therefore an increase in income. I one month , I now earn $195.65 compared to$163.05 three months ago.
I am now able to pay for my children school fees without having so much arrears.
I was able to take my family once to a funfair to swing on one Saturday afternoon.

thanks to the zidisha loan, I was able to purchase a phone unlocking and flashing equipment which has made my work easier and has reduced my operation cost for I no longer have to outsource those services. my income has increased and last week I was able to pay my fiancee's hospital bill for an operation that cost me 20,550. thanks to the lenders you have realy transformed the lives of many who couldnt access bank loans.God bless you and keep up the good work

Thank you so much zidisha for your help since i was able to take my younger sister to a boarding school with the money i received from you, its a dream come true to me , she was very happy and that look in her eyes when i finally told her she was joining a boarding school was priceless.

I hope you are able to appreciate the sprinkler behind me doing irrigation. the cabbages are almost due for harvest.
thankyou all my lenders. long live zidisha.

Dear Lenders, thanks for your highly support, the project are also on-going and here are the pictures of the project and the school. I have also attached the road of my school which is 'Nkosookrom' road. Respectfully, I have three uniforms for my school including their Friday wear that's T-shirt.
Thank you very much and also greetings to you dear Lark Ducoeur for your patience.

Thank you Lenders for your love for my project, I am very happy for your funding.

It was quite intriguing working with the last loan, through it I was able to purchase a sewing machine which has helped a lot let alone the shoe stock. I suppose the next loan shall be to me a stepping stone towards building a stronger financial base.

Im excited to hear thay you are doing ethnographiv research. I was trained in anthropology and have had a career in museums. Attached is s photo og our museum.

food

here is the magic blender

I want to use this opportunity go thank the zidisha loan service for this fund provided me...infact, the fund has helped me to boost my clothing business. My store is now filled with more new clothings and has helped me earn some money to invest in my business, fend myself and also use some to buy my school items I need. I must say I'm very grateful

I managed to open a retail shop following the disbursement for my previous loan. This shop is located next to one of the most biggest universities around this region. The business picked s well and client where interested of different fashion of clothes in my shop. This has helped me to pay off my loan even beyond my expectation.

I want to use this opportunity go thank the zidisha loan service for this fund provided me...infact, the fund has helped me to boost my clothing business. My store is now filled with more new clothings and has helped me earn some money to invest in my business, fend myself and also use some to buy my school items I need

Hello lenders thank you very much for the loan. I managed to repair the photocopy and now i am doing a lot of copies than before. This machine has really increased my profit by 5%. The profit am using it to pay a plot had purchased a year ago and i have been having a balance of 20,000 Kenya shillings. Once more thank you God bless you.

I managed to buy a hair dryer and blow dryer. this has since increased the traffic in my salon and thus my immediate payment of my first installment before time am optimistic to finish my loan before my expected date of May 10 th. I sincerely thank you my lenders and Zidisha inc

Dear Lender,

God blessed us with son - Writch, what a wonderful gift for our young family. My business is still moving on well. As promised, loan is being paid and wish to complete before time and if need be take another one.

Otherwise God bless you abundantly still together.

Walter

To All Zidisha Lenders & Management.
I wish to thank my lenders and Zidisha management. Your loans are improving my retail business day by day. I anticipate to change my current to shop to a wholesale and retail shop in the next two years.
Much regards
Victor Mogoi Mose.

Hi Zidisha family,
I took a dive into fish farming, adventure I was very green in, thanks to Zidisha and some money I had, I've managed to make some strides, the experience has been one of a kind.
Fish farming the world over is great business, I'm determined to go full throttle, improve my knowledge of the trade through seminars and workshops.
It is with this in mind that I have chosen Zidisha as my partner in growth as I write a new chapter in my life and inspiration of the people around me.
"I'M FISH ABOUT FISH"

Thank you Zidisha and all my lenders.Since Zidisha started leanding me,i have been able to do business and i have seen alot of improvement in my live and family.The last loan helped me alot since it was christmas and festival season,when everyone and every family eat chicken.I managed to clear alot of my debts and also to bring more chicks.Now that i have more customers i would still want to expand my business further.Inface i would even like to start a small college to teach people on how to keep chicken.

C'est un privilège pour moi de vous informer que j'ai pu payer une machine a coudre et maintenant les affaire ce porte a merveille.

these are some of my making and anyone can order them from any part of the world

After receiving my loan i added some of my money i had saved and bought 3 digital set top boxes which i sold within the first week.With the money together with the profits i have now purchased 5 of them and sold 2.I hope to sell the others which am sure after reselling them i will be able to double the number as well as my profits.This is already starting to impact on my business thanks to my lenders and Zidisha.I hope to succeed more and share with you the good news

What a good life...! a midst loving and caring friends brought about by the Zidisha Lending Platform...!

Zidisha lending platform is the best Micro-Finance I have ever come accross in my life! I strongly believe, this is the right platform to uplift Africa and the developing countries like Kenya out of abject poverty.

Hello to all Joyce's lenders! My name is Jennifer and I have worked with the JoyFo Bakery since 2012. Am so proud of Joyce and her great record of repayment. She delivered scones and "roses" (rolls) to me yesterday and we took this picture. She is going to "take a rest" from borrowing for awhile. It is wonderful to be a part of this family. On their behalf, thank you