My name is Dora Anne Kageni. I am a project management student, a business lady, and am also in agri-business. Am also a freelancer working online on different jobs mainly article writing, transcription, and online marketing. I am married and a mother of three children. I live upcountry in a place called Marima of Tharaka-Nithi County Kenya with my family. My hobbies are cooking, farming, reading, and adventure.

I own a shop which I sell a variety of items like stationery, second-hand clothes locally called 'mitumba' and cosmetics. I also do freelancing writing and transcription on part-time mainly at night. I have a horticulture farm that I sell to locals and traders from local markets come to buy farm produce on a daily basis thanks to Zidisha loans. Living up-country is an advantage because of land so I ventured into commercial chicken farming in both indigenous and hybrid chicken. From the earnings I get I pay my workers, housekeeping, and some savings for rainy days.

My first born Joe is a third-year student at the Jomo Kenya University of Agriculture -JKUAT in Nairobi taking I.T course thank God he will complete this year and graduate by end-year. My second born Daniel is in form 2 high school class. My third born a girl Linda is in pre-unit class. So far so good I thank God for my kids and people around me like Zidisha for enabling us- me and my husband to take care of them, meeting their needs.

Meru community where I grew up and married are known to be, farmers such that there is a saying that goes around saying 'No Meru people ever die of hunger'. We are known for working hard in the farms cultivating potatoes, maize, maize, yams, bananas, beans, black beans and any other crop does very well in our soils. The only negative culture that is fading away, is female circumcision. This was practiced by our forefathers but it is dying as people are now educated.

My first born son Joe wants to do software that will improve peopleslike agri-business and marketing. Daniel has shifted his career choice to piloting and he has chosen aviation in high school. For Linda, everything that comes her way is her choice of being a teacher like her grandma to a business lady like mum. She is yet to decide what she wants to be at her age, still young.

I am very passionate about everything I do.

My business originally was selling different items that I bought from Nairobi the capital city of Kenya. I sell stationeries, plastics-basins, cups, and plates, and last week I have introduced back second-hand clothes. I was once way back selling second-hand clothes in 2004-2006 before I shifted to new items. I have started selling second-hand clothes again because of demand by my former customers and it is picking up positively. Pictures are on the dashboard. I still do the shop business but since after meeting Zidisha, it changed my life completely because I had a kitchen garden and backyard chicken which I later expanded into agri-business. And towards the end of 2017, I ventured into dairy farming with the help of my husband and a gift from my mother-in-law. I sell 5 liters at KES 45 and the remaining milk I use it for my kids to take and the extra makes home yogurt.

In the evening mostly, I do freelance writing and transcription. I joined freelancing back in 2012 when I was staying at home and my business was not doing very good because I was pregnant then with preeclampsia complication so I could not go for goods anymore. I bid for work and I have 2 clients I work for when they have to work the request I work for them.

I source high-quality goods from the market to sell to my customers so that I maintain my clients' qualities. Sometimes quality and money don't march but the customers understand. Again leaving in a place where people now you, is very challenging and sometimes encouraging since people take goods and pay at a slow pace or boost the business through referrals I chose this business because it has high returns and it was the starting point of my adult life after completing high school.

In agri-business, I grow vegetables, cereals like maize beans and cowpeas, poultry farming, and dairy farming. I started selling my extra vegetables, eggs, and chicken after realizing I had extra in my house. When I got my first Zidisha loan I bought seed trays and seeds and that took me to another level of thinking and business. So far now I have more than 150 chicken which I have hatched slowly after losing my flock early last year in February 2017. I am greatfulthat they are now laying eggs and I sell at will to those willing to buy eggs, meat or chicks.

I also do outside catering as request arises where I cook for people in any function like weddings, parties and school functions at a fee. This occurs really because I leave in a low and middle-class environment so mainly I get clients from those who are from this area and they have a function. I hire other people to help me since I cannot do it alone and I pay them at the end of the function.

I do bake muffins and cakes where I sell locally to people and local market shop. I bake also cakes for different functions like birthdays and weddings.

Monthly Income;

Freelancing $98.10

Vegetables $49.05

*Cereals Half yearly $98.10

*Poultry--Eggs $29.43

--Meat & Chicks $29.43

Milk $58.86

*Cakes & Muffins $78.48

*Outside Catering $98.10

Shop earnings $ 98.10

Totals------------------------$637.65

*This changes upward or downwards depending on the availability of work and availability of produce. So they are not constant but approximates.

Monthly Expenses

Freelancing Airtime $9.81

Househelp $49.24

Foodstuffs $29.43

Fuel & Transport $49.24

Farm Helper $39.24

*Farm casuals $39.24

Chicken feeds & Meds $65.10

Dairy feeds & Minerals $51.39

Yearly shop License $34.34

Water $29.43

Electricity $39.24

Sacco savings $68

*Miscellaneous $39.24

Totals $592.18

* This is subject to change like casuals when there is a lot of work like tilling, weeding and spraying they consume more and extras are used in repairs, Govt vaccinations, and my airtime.

Sacco savings will be used to repair our house roof tiles which we have noticed some leaks here and there. It will be repaired in the month of August when the rains stop.

Currently, have planted maize and beans in 3 acres, potatoes 1 acre and harvesting coffee this season. Potatoes and beans are already harvested and since the rains are continuing, am praying that the beans do not go to waste because of wet weather. After harvesting coffee, it is husked, dried and sorted to sell later in the year when prices are favorable. Maize and beans are for consumption but if there is surplus which most times there is, we sell to individuals or take in my daughters' school to supplement school fees for the term. I do sell also eggs from my flock and local chicken.

So far I have expanded in line with my vision. Early this year I bought 3 rabbits to boast my meat availability. In Kenya rabbit meat is in high demand and also the urine is used as liquid fertilizer. In future hopefully, I wish to have a fish pond and a pig sty so that my farm to be a full round farm where one can get anything natural or organic.

My loan request will buy the following bales of clothing;

Types of bales Costs

Men sweaters $162

Polysilk dresses $177

Canadian mixed dresses $206

Children jackets $98

Ladies Jackets $83

Men Khaki trousers $177

Ladies light sweater $137

Children mixed clothes $118

Totals $1158