I am a Kenyan Male living in Nairobi but from Vihiga, Western Kenya. I attended primary school in Western Kenya after which I went to High School in the same region. I then managed to get to Nairobi University where I pursued a degree course. My Education and early Childhood was a typical village lifestyle. Not so luxurious but interesting. I had a vision of living a better life through hard work.

After University, I worked for several organizations including Non-Profits as an administrative assistant and other administerial positions. The last job I did was as a Projects manager in a public benefit organization in Marsabit, Kenya. I also participate in Youth empowerment projects that focus on the social growth and development of vulnerable youth in low-income areas.

Besides working and helping the community, I also found it important for one to dedicate time for personal growth. That is why I also started a personal Freelance business that involves project proposal drafting and editing, online research and data analisys. It entails a heavy emphasis of online research and the use of word processors and spreadsheets.

My Business involves private research and data analisys. I collect information for individuals, small local businesses and institutions. This information is used for business purposes, policy making and for general academic uses. Some times, I collect statistical and historic facts from online sources and compile them into properly formatted documents, tables and analyzed graphs. In other cases, I have to visit and interview subjects like potential clients, targets for marketing campaigns and research subjects. I get paid for this.

This business is in tune with my area of expertise and it is easier for me to do in tandem with the other tasks I engage in. I get at least 2 good projects in a month. On average, a research project earns me Ksh.20,000 (USD 200), making a total of 400 USD. I use 150 USD on rent, 50 USD on transport, 100 USD for my son's school fees. I manage to save between 60 and 100 USD Depending on how much I spend on personal effects.

I hope the business grows so I can open a permanent office besides the on the move freelancing.

I currently use a desktop computer with a dial-up modem to access the internet. This is what I use to conduct online research and data analisys with excel and SPSS. This machine consumes a significant amount of power and I am heavily influenced by the repetitive blackouts that occur. I would really be in a better position if I had a laptop. The loan am borrowing is for the purchase of a Laptop for my business. With a good Uninterruptible Power Supply, i will manage to work longer hours than with the desktop on the account of power consumption. The desktop is an old model Pentium 4 with limited memory and running some data analysis applications also makes work painful. I'd love to get a laptop with faster processing capabilities and larger memory. IT will be possible to increase my income by 100 USD (Ksh.10,000) if I get to capture the time I loose due to electricity black outs and slower processing capabilities of my current machine. I'll appreciate the help of Zidisha and Lenders in my pursuit for efficiency and growth.