My name is Patrick Gatheru. I was born in Nakuru County of the Rift Valley region of Kenya. I was born in a large family of 11 where I am the eighth born. I have a family of my own where I am married with one wife and four children.
I was raised by my parents in Nakuru where they eked a living as peasant farmers. It was a hard life and they struggled a lot to put food on the table and to take us to school. I did my primary and secondary education and later enrolled for a course in alternative medicine.
I later relocated to Mombasa where I started my own business of selling herbal products and that is what I am still doing to date. I am a social person and I always like to make new friends which I find very essential in my business.
The medicines are used to cure and control many conditions such as asthma, common cold, mouth ulcers, typhoid, malaria and many tropical diseases. The raw materials are normally obtained from local vegetation and they are quite easy to get. They include nettles, aloe vera, garlic, ginger etc.
I sell most of my products in syrup and crystal form. My dream is to package them into tablet form in future. Through this business, I manage to get a modest profit of about $250 after all expenses that include paying my two assistants.
Due to my hard work and other herbal medicine practitioners, this alternative means of curing diseases is slowly gaining acceptance across all types of people. What was previously shunned by many as fake concoction is now popular due to its proved efficacy.
I recently introduced a mobile 'chemist' where I put my herbal products in a car and reach out for people who are in the countryside where the herbal medicine is not very popular. I have fitted the car with a megaphone for public address. This has proved to be an effective way of marketing but it comes at a cost.
I am spending about $20 for such one such trip. The returns are good but I need credit to make me venture further in the interior. If I get this loan, I will use it to finance more trips hence reach more people.
Market herbal medicine
My name is Patrick Gatheru. I was born in Nakuru County of the Rift Valley region of Kenya. I was born in a large family of 11 where I am the eighth born. I have a family of my own where I am married with one wife and four children.
I was raised by my parents in Nakuru where they eked a living as peasant farmers. It was a hard life and they struggled a lot to put food on the table and to take us to school. I did my primary and secondary education and later enrolled for a course in alternative medicine.
I later relocated to Mombasa where I started my own business of selling herbal products and that is what I am still doing to date. I am a social person and I always like to make new friends which I find very essential in my business.
The medicines are used to cure and control many conditions such as asthma, common cold, mouth ulcers, typhoid, malaria and many tropical diseases. The raw materials are normally obtained from local vegetation and they are quite easy to get. They include nettles, aloe vera, garlic, ginger etc.
I sell most of my products in syrup and crystal form. My dream is to package them into tablet form in future. Through this business, I manage to get a modest profit of about $250 after all expenses that include paying my two assistants.
Due to my hard work and other herbal medicine practitioners, this alternative means of curing diseases is slowly gaining acceptance across all types of people. What was previously shunned by many as fake concoction is now popular due to its proved efficacy.
I recently introduced a mobile 'chemist' where I put my herbal products in a car and reach out for people who are in the countryside where the herbal medicine is not very popular. I have fitted the car with a megaphone for public address. This has proved to be an effective way of marketing but it comes at a cost.
I am spending about $20 for such one such trip. The returns are good but I need credit to make me venture further in the interior. If I get this loan, I will use it to finance more trips hence reach more people.