Building up for a better future

Supporting a wife and three children is not an easy matter when one’s occupation consists of being a small-scale farmer. But RichardMwathi was one step ahead and had decided to diversify his business by starting a barbershop in 2005. This move was made in order to help give his family a better life. Below is a recent update from our Kenya Client Relationship Manager on his whereabouts and the occupations he has been involved in:

Hello, my name is Traci Yoshiyama, Zidisha’s Kenya Client Relationship Manager. I am currently visiting Zidisha borrowers in and around Nairobi.

Knowledge is power. As the leading mantra here in Kenya, it comes as no surprise that the enrollment rate for primary education stands above eighty percent; literacy among youths a whooping ninety-three percent! Parents making meager wages will sacrifice almost anything to ensure their children have an education that they themselves did not get. As my visits to Zidisha borrowers grow, a trend in loan impact reveals itself, for although microfinance was initiated to provide services to uplift small businesses, many see it as a way to empower their children through education.

Richard Mwathi, former owner of a kinyozi (barbershop) in Lanet, Nakuru is the proud father of three teenage boys. With one in Form 4, another in Standard 8, and the eldest enrolled in Egerton University studying natural environment, paying for school fees is no easy feat. Richard’s Zidisha loan was used to pay for tuition, and although he intended to pay back his loan with the revenue acquired through his kinyozi, sales dropped and he decided to close his business.

Seeing better opportunities in Nairobi, Richard is currently living with his sister and nephew in Utawala, while his children continue to attend school in Nakuru. Hoping to accrue enough money to pay back his loan, Richard is working odd jobs at the many construction sites in Utawala. Construction work being on a need only basis and one of the only options for many without additional employment, Richard waits eagerly to be called upon. With elections so close at hand, many construction sites are also at a standstill, lying in wait to see what the new government will bring.

Richard’s struggles are apparent on his face, but his optimism for the future is also unyielding. Making repayments more manageable, Richard has decided to make small weekly installments starting in October. He will continue to stay in Nairobi until the end of the year, seeking opportunities in the growing town of Utawala. My visit with Richard ends on a light-hearted note while we take photos outside and I get a grand tour of a new house his sister is in the process of building. Thank you Richard and family for inviting me to your home, and I wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

Capitalism is Alive and Well in Kenya

Another great update from Traci in Kenya:


Hello, my name is Traci Yoshiyama, Zidisha’s Kenya Client Relationship Manager. I am currently residing in Mugaa, visiting Zidisha borrowers in nearby villages. 

A borrower’s profile captures a tiny portion of the life he or she lives, rarely painting an accurate picture of their hard work and perseverance. Nicholas Munyua describes himself above as a businessman in Miti Mingi, but having the opportunity to visit him today, I see he did not do himself justice. I meet Nicholas in front of his store, Munyua General Shop, but soon find out he also owns a boutique two doors down called A to Z Boutique. Among the various items stocked on his shelves, Nicholas is most proud of the grains he is able to sell, making a profit of 500,000 Ksh a year. This was made possible through his first Zidisha loan. He explains how Zidisha has allowed him to “elevate to another level”. Along with buying items for his stores, Nicholas was able to repair his vehicle with his second Zidisha loan. As essential to his business as the store itself, his truck allows him to transport his stock from the faraway cities of Nakuru and Nairobi. 

Businesses aside, Mr. Munyua is also the deputy teacher (VP) at Elementita Primary School. This paying only 800 Ksh a month (less than $10), he also relies on his two-acre shamba. His shamba, situated next to his home, is ripe with pumpkins, bananas, oranges, potatoes, beans, maize, and much more. With a kindness that I am unable to express in words, he does not let me leave Miti Mingi without giving me a bag filled with oranges. 

Also worth noting is his role as a father, for although I have met many fathers during my stay in Kenya, Mr. Munyua may be the proudest. As we sit in his living room and enjoy a steaming cup of tea, he reminisces over a stack of photos documenting birthday parties, school visitation days, and family get-togethers. As he tells me more about his eldest daughter, who now attends Jomo Kenyatta University of Science and Technology, he picks up his phone and calls her. Being as kind and personable as her father, Susan makes plans to meet me the next time I am in Nairobi. 

Being poor as a child, Nicholas recounts the many instances where he went without food for as many as two days. He remembers promising himself that this would not be his fate or that of his family. With the help of loans and a man who knows what he is striving for, Mr. Munyua and his family have managed to own two blooming businesses, send all their children to boarding schools to get the best education, and build a new home equipped with all the modern conveniences. With all this determination, does it come as a surprise that this all started with a little kiosk selling mangoes and vegetables? 

A Barber Shop is Born

Hello, my name is Traci Yoshiyama, Zidisha’s Kenya Client Relationship Manager. I am currently residing in Mugaa, visiting Zidisha borrowers in nearby villages. 

“I’m very hard working,” says Jane Wambui without a tinge of boastfulness, but rather a sense of pride. Rightfully so, Jane is 27 years old and already a successful businesswoman, not to mention a mother of two. Jane and her husband own a kinyozi (salon) and a produce stall in Miti Mingi. As Jane and I speak from her stall, we peer across the street at the kinyozi where we can see her husband cutting the hair of a young gentleman. In another minute, Jane gets a customer wanting to buy bananas, evidence that their two businesses are thriving. 

Jane is an experienced Zidisha member, already repaying her 2nd loan. She comments on how she finished repaying her first loan 4 months early, and she anticipates following this example for her second. The creation of her family’s kinyozi was possible because of Zidisha. Through her first loan of Ksh 50,000, Jane was able to rent a space, buy all the necessary machinery (i.e. shavers, razors), stock her store with hair products and shoes, and even buy two batteries that enable her shop to stay open during the frequent power outages. While her husband is in charge of styling the men, Jane takes care of the children haircuts when not working at her produce stall. We have all heard of children being fearful of haircuts, with scissors too close for comfort and strange noises and smells permeating the air. Jane gestures towards her face, implying this is the answer to their haircut jitters. Although both Jane and her husband have no formal training in barbering, she explains to me that, “some courses come from the heart”. To further prove how hard working she is, Jane speaks about her two cows, one of which was bought with her second Zidisha loan. With the milk from her cows, she is able to make Ksh 15,000 a month, which then assists in paying for school fees (both boys are in boarding schools) and rent for her kinyozi. 

Upon leaving, Jane reaches for a banana, the ripest of the bunch, and gives it to me as a gift. Refusing to take my money, she makes me promise to visit again, even extending an invitation to her home. As I make my 6km descent home, I think about Miti Mingi, one of the smallest villages I have seen in Kenya, but filled with people possessing the biggest of hearts.

A little help can take you a long way

Massamba Diouf used to run a stationary shop for a living, the profits of which would go to support his wife and two children. During a turbulent time, when he was facing strong competition, he came to Zidisha for help. His ultimate ambition was to use the proceeds of the Zidisha loan to start up a t-shirt and sports shirt business. However, he would need the clothing equipment first to make such an aspiration a reality. Sam Gant, our Client Relationship Manager in Senegal, managed to interview Mr. Diouf on the current state of his affairs:

I'm a Client Relationship Volunteer in Dakar and I visited Massamba the other day in his shop. There were basic office and printing supplies in his shop which he shares with several business partners. What he was most intent on talking about, however, was the t-shrt press that he purchased with his loan and now uses to put prints on t-shirts and baseball caps.

He showed an example of his progress with mastering the press as well as a very nice Zidisha shirt he recently designed with a Client Relationship Manager. He seemed to be doing well with his new business and mentioned that advertisement of his business was spreading slowly but surely, mostly by word of mouth. He seems most hopeful of making shirts for sporting events like football and wrestling as well as various festivals and campaigns.

Massamba lives behind the shop with his wife and two young children. He uses the profits from the store and his new shirt-printing business to support his family. He hopes to be able to save up enough with the new profits to buy certain supplies like expensive printing paper in bulk to cut costs. He also expressed interest in another loan upon the successful completion of this loan for buying in bulk for both his t-shirt press business and the boutique.

Transcending Kenya's borders

Happiness is a word that can best characterize Pst. Joseph Ndungu who is married and is the proud father of 10 children. He makes canvas bags for school children alongside traveling bags and he also makes seat covers for motorbikes. His reasoning and motivation behind developing canvas bags is that children are being born daily and there is a high demand for canvas bags once they become enrolled in school. His business strategy behind motorbike seat cover creation is that motorbikes are being bought on a constant basis and they are prone to damage due to depreciation in value and plainly due to the environment itself.  I managed to interview Mr. Ndungu via email and asked him some questions about the current state of his prosperous business:

1. How is the competition looking in the business of making seat covers for bikes and canvas bags for school children? You mentioned there was low competition, but how is it looking now and how is it affecting your business currently?

I am in Nakuru county about 35km away from Nakuru town. Rongai is the divisional headquarter surrounded by big lands.

I have been in this town since 1990 when I started involving myself in the business area.

When I was looking for the business that I would start I considered some things because I was ministering a church by that time and I could not leave and so I decided to start the unique work that was not in the town. I started binding books mostly Bibles. To expand my business, I thought of making school bags for there was no one dealing with it. I went and bought a bag plus materials and I made a canvas bag. It looked good than the one I bought. I started making school bags from that day onwards.

When the Boda-boda came I looked at the motorbikes and I decided to expand my business again through making seat covers, which is paying me more than other things. I do serve people from 20 square km away.

2. What inspired you to make canvas bags in the first place? Please share any personal anecdotes if you can, it would be greatly appreciated!

I introduced canvas schoolbags and I have been selling them and I do give a guarantee of 2 years just to give surety that what I am making is of high quality. I have been selling in retail and my bags have gone as far as Mombasa and Kitale.

Up to now there is no competition in this business.

3. Where do you see yourself and your business in the next few years? Any plans for expansion?

I am planning to expand my business even to reach other countries. I visited Uganda and I can get market there. Also I am planning to visit Southern Sudan to find out whether I can also get a market there.

4. Further comments?

Through Zidisha, I have achieved a lot because I have managed to purchase my materials, which are very expensive. If only I can be given larger amount like Kshs 100,000 I would be in a position to reach my goals.

What I get as profit, I decide to share it with an orphan whom I have supported him in his education. It’s my prayer that one day I will be in a position of lending to others than being a borrower.

Thanks to Zidisha family for what they are doing.

Apart from the above activities in my business, I do involve in making Fishing Flies as Mr. Achintya Rai quoted in my profile after vising my workshop, which I do sell them in U.S.A and U.K. countries. I do humbly request if in Zidisha family there is someone who do the business to kindly email me.

Zidisha's P2P Platform in Action

Duncan Chege with his computers

From time to time we see great examples of how our P2P lending platform is making a real difference in someones business, and often life. There is no quantitative value that can be placed on the experiences that lenders and borrowers take part in when they are able to communicate with each other. Take for example Duncan Chege, a Kenyan business owner who has a computer school for aspiring youth. Duncan is seeking a loan to purchase two computers and a printer, the latter of which is in great demand in his area. When lender 'Hope2012' read about Duncan's plan they offered some advice on the expensive, and often inflated, printer cartridge prices. 'Hope2012' linked a webpage to Duncan that offered some great information on printer cartridges and tips on how to find the best prices.

These interactions provide irrefutable proof that the P2P platform that was pioneered by Zidisha is working better than we could have imagined. There are other examples of this type of interaction between lenders and borrowers, but I wanted to highlight this instance for our entire community to enjoy. My hope is that other lenders will enjoy interacting with the borrowers as much as 'hope2012' has.

Being the change I wish to see..

Over the last several years, the methodologies of microfinance institutions have enabled the provision of financial services to those living in extreme hardship and poverty. Having been a resident of Bangladesh for the first 18 years of my life, I remember reading and watching the news about Dr. Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank and how his vision that small loans could make a substantial change in the lives of the rural poor had changed my country’s social and activist makeup. In this day and age, free market enterprise might not create opportunities for one to attain a high standard of living, given the exponentially high population growth in most developing countries. Due to myriad of reasons, I became drawn to the concept of microfinance from my high school years, especially in its core mission to elevate poor people.

I joined Zidisha to nurture this passion of mine, alongside my economic development and film production interests. Being a communications associate has allowed me to correspond directly with clients from Senegal and Kenya, in order to help them discuss the benefits they have been reaping from their loans. I firmly believe that Zidisha’s free-flowing commentary modes between lender and borrower will escalate microfinance’s reach across international borders. Technology and social media has seeped into our everyday codes of conduct and performances, and microfinance industries’ exploitations of these mediums will surely lead to more improved and transparent methods of communication between lenders and borrowers. I have had a fulfilling experience so far in being a part of Zidisha’s team while balancing my heavy coursework at college. I hope to see Zidisha grow and become a beacon of light in the field of microfinance. 

"Zidisha is one of the greatest things..."

Dear Lenders, 

Zidisha is one of the greatest things that has happened to me in my entire life. Through Zidisha, I have comfortably bought two cows of my dreams at a total cost of over Ksh 100,000. This has been made possible due to the low interest rates and very flexible repayment periods offered. 

Yours,
James Wainaina 

Zidisha borrower, James, posted this comment to his profile page today. We are elated to hear that James is happy with his loan, and was able to purchase his cows. As always, none of this is possible without our generous lenders! 

Computer Services in Kenya

Mr. Chege

Andrew Chege is a Zidisha borrower from Kiptangwanyi, Kenya. Andrew supports his family by running a computer services business. He is able to provide his clients with photocopying, typesetting, printing, lamination, and scanning services. While business is good, Andrew's area is still plagued by energy rationing (even though the electricity is expensive!). Andrew originally wanted to purchase a new camera and printer with his Zidisha loan. The additional equipment, he hoped, would allow him to keep up with the increasing demand for his services. 

Check out what Client Relationship Manager Achintya Rai had to say about meeting Andrew below: 

Mr. Chege's work station

Hello lenders,

My name is Achintya Rai

Yesterday I visited the business premises of Andrew Chege Mbugua.
Andrew runs the business of instant pictures. He has a desktop computer, a digital camera, a printer and also a small photocopying machine. Most of his clients come to him to get instant passport sized photographs, which they had to get from Nakuru earlier. Andrew’s printer cannot print beyond small sized photographs and he feels that there is a potential demand in Kiptangwanyi and nearby areas for larger photographs (family photographs for example)

He wants to invest the loan money in either buying a bigger printer, or replacing the old one before it breaks down (last time it broke down, it was three months before he could get a new one). He also wants to buy what he calls a “state of the art” camera. This would cost him 20,000 to 25,000 shillings. Always a businessman, Andrew offered to exchange his camera with mine (which has lesser megapixels than his, but is green and sits in a red cover which perhaps made him think it was better than his). I said “sure, as soon as you get your state of the art camera”. There was general laughter at this (there were many people who had collected to watch the discussion/interview)

Of all the people I have met here, Andrew is the first one who has been to college (even though I must add that the general level of education in rural Kenya is exceptionally good). His wife is a teacher. He wants his kids to study even further than him and do well in their lives. 

As a last note I’d like to add that it is hard to believe that Andrew is 35 and has 2 kids. He doesn’t look a day beyond 25 (when I told him this, he was quite delighted-I guess a little vanity finds us all some time or the other)

Achintya

Fashion in Senegal

Astou Diop is a borrower from Dakar, Senegal. While studying, Madame Diop learned how to sew. A few years later she started her very own sewing and tailoring business! This young mother uses her business to support her family. Madame Diop wants to use her Zidisha loan to open a traditional boutique to sell her goods and increase her profits.

Our in country Client Relationship Manager Stephen met with Madame Diop recently. Here is what Stephen wrote on their encounter:


Hello lenders,

Yesterday, I met with Madame Astou Diop who lives in the Cambarene neighborhood close to the beach. She is married and has one daughter. She lives with her father, mother, three brothers and one sister. She and her brothers are the main providers for the family. One brother lives in Spain, one is a doctor and the other works in commerce. They split the expenses of the household. 

Business
She talked a lot about her tailoring and sewing business. She buys her fabric from Sandaga and makes boobas, scarves and shoes. She sometimes makes other items depending upon the demand. She is very content with her progress and mainly works in her neighborhood selling her products to her friends.Unfortunately, her funds are only enough to repay her loan because she doesn't have much surplus.

Future
Once Madame Diop pays off this loan she hopes to take out another one and find a space for a small boutique. She hopes to display her clothing possibly at one of the large markets around Dakar for more exposure.

Stephen
Client Relationship Manager

Some of Madame Diop's goods.

The Next Bill Gates

Aissatou Traore is a borrower living in Dakar, Senegal. Madame Traore is a widowed mother  who works to support her son and mother. Mme. Traore is a partner with the American company Forever Living, based in Arizona. Forever Living sells its aloe vera, and various other health products, through a network of independent distributors across the globe. Madame Traore sells the Forever Living products in her surrounding area to a number of customers.

Mme. Traore used her Zidisha loan to purchase $780 worth of inventory from Forever Living in order to boost her income. Tragically, thieves broke into  her home and stole all of the inventory she'd purchased. This did not stop the resolute Mme. Traore.

Read more about Madame Traore from Zidisha's own Director Julia Kurnia, who recently wrote about their meeting in Senegal.

Dear all,

I was fortunate to have the occasion to meet with Madame Traore at the Senegal headquarters of Forever Living, a direct selling company that produces aloe vera and other natural health products. Forever Living is based in Arizona, but markets its products through a worldwide network of tens of thousands of independent distributors, including Mme Traore.

Mme Traore is the sole breadwinner for her elderly mother and fourteen-year-old son, who she hopes will have the chance to go to university in Europe or the US someday. She has a genius for marketing, and our conversation soon turned to the benefits of her products. She gave a riveting presentation, skillfully weaving international statistics, personal experience and client success stories into a mesmerizing narrative that left me thoroughly convinced that aloe vera toothpaste is, after all, a must-have staple of good oral health. 

Mme Traore used her Zidisha loan of $780 to purchase a large inventory of Forever Living products, which ought to have boosted her earnings substantially. Unfortunately, most of the inventory was lost to a thief who broke into her home and stole her stock before she had the chance to sell it. Completely out of money to buy new stock but undeterred, Mme Traore contacted her best clients one by one and offered a deal: she would give them a special discount if they would agree to pay in advance for the products, rather than upon delivery. She used the advances to restart selling, at a profit margin that was razor thin due to the discounts. She makes up for the narrow profits with volume: her notebook contains the names of several hundred clients, many of whom are located in rural villages a day's journey from Dakar city. On the days she "goes into the bush" to deliver her products to the villages, Mme Traore wakes up at four in the morning to prepare the day's meals for her fourteen-year-old son, and returns home as late as one o'clock the following night. This strategy has enabled Mme Traore to slowly reconstitute her working capital, while also making regular repayment installments on her Zidisha loan, which is now 78% repaid.

She seemed completely undeterred by all of these obstacles. By way of explanation, Mme Traore cited the example of Bill Gates: he started on a small scale as well, and she is simply doing the same. She is a voracious reader. On the day we met, she was reading a French translation of "The Leader in You" by Dale Carnegie. Mme Traore said she was inspired by Mr Carnegie's idea that there is a "mine of gold" inside each one of us, and that the best way to fully realize our potential is to develop our own business. She values her freedom, and says that nothing can stop her from reaching her ambitions.

Best,

Julia Kurnia
Director, Zidisha Inc.

Donkeys, Goats, & "The Mattress Doctor"

Two more updates from Achintya, our intern in Kenya:

Edward Waithaka
On 8th Feb I went to meet Edward Waithaka at his home and Shamba (farm). Edward works as a watchman in Mugaa Secondary School where I was putting up. With his first Zidisha loan he bought a donkey. I asked him what the donkey’s name was and he said “Geneva”. I said “I’m sorry what?” He replied “Geneva, like the one in Europe”. Edward did not complete his schooling and has studied till form one.

During the 2007-08 post-election violence Edward had to sell most of his flock of sheep and goats at very low prices. He, like most people in the village, sent his wife and children away during the conflict. The Zidisha loan helped him get back on his feet. He uses the donkey to fetch water for his Shamba and his family. He also invested part of the loan to build the roof of his house.

With the second loan he bought a goat, which later gave birth to a little baby goat (called Toto, which means ‘a baby’). Edward has 11 children, 6 of whom stay with him. The youngest is 9 months old. The milk from the goat is just sufficient for his family but he intends to buy a cow with his next loan. He expects that by then he’d have 4 goats and sufficient milk to sell in the market. I learnt from him that goat’s milk is costlier than cow’s in Kenya. I remember reading that Gandhi called goat the “poor man’s cow”. Apparently not so in Kenya.

Edward works as a night watchman in the school and he was utterly fascinated by my torch, which does not need a battery but can be charged by rotating a small lever on its side. He told me that he spends on 4 batteries every month for his torch so I have promised to give him my torch before I left Kenya.
Ironically Geneva, as if realizing I was from Zidisha, was very happy to see me (he overturned like a beetle and gave himself a nice rub in the mud right in front of me) but Edward’s little son was not (he bawled and ran away from me)- pictures of both attached. I found Edward to be a very simple hearted and genuine person, free from any guile. I’d love to see him employ his Zidisha funds in gainful uses and improve his lot.
Read more about Edward here 

James Nuthu Mwangi Yesterday I went to meet James Nuthu Mwangi at his business premises. James runs a cleaning business, specializing in cleaning mattresses. His business is called ‘The Mattress Doctor’. He and his cousin, who is an insurance agent, share the premises to cut down on the rent. James found Zidisha on his own. He went to a bank for a loan but the bank asked for a guarantor, a running business with stable profits and an interest rate of 13% to 15%. He then searched online and found a famous lending organization that referred him to a local micro-finance organization (which the famous lending organization funded). This local organization asked him to open an account with them and other complicated formalities and demanded a MONTHLY interest rate of 2% for their loans. In simple interest terms, that totals to an interest rate of more than 26% per year. With the next loan James wants to buy a bigger vacuum cleaner because the one he has right now is, though good for cleaning mattresses and sofas, not very useful for general cleaning. James persevered in his search still, and he found Zidisha. 

Today James is one of the strongest advocates of Zidisha and volunteers for us. He is also the de-facto coordinator of Zidisha activities in Nairobi. James used his first Zidisha loan to buy a steam machine and to design and print flyers that he used for marketing his business. When I asked him how he learnt to clean, he said “through the internet!” and proceeded to show me a bundle of downloaded literature on cleaning. When one of my professors said that Internet would democratize information (this was in 1999-2000), I did not expect it to manifest like this. After finishing school James did a course in programming and later used these skills to design his business website which I found to be quite interesting, informative and easy to maneuver.
Bright green is a color that Zidisha clients seem to prefer. The bicycle that James uses to commute to nearby areas for his business is the same bright green color as the pickup truck of another client I met recently. His bike is also the first geared bicycle I’ve seen in Kenya (the gears don’t work anymore though).

Check out James' Zidisha page to learn more

"Hello" & "Thanks" from Around the World

Here are some recent posts from Zidisha borrowers:
"Good morning to everybody,
I have indeed received the money that I have asked for, I was able to buy the cart as I have said before and now three young men are selling with me. I am very happy with the promptness my file has been handled and the money was available to me. I'd like to thank all the lenders who has answered to my request and hope from all my heart that I will not disappoint them. Thank you also for your encouragements. I talked about the system of Zidisha to other people who has shown interest but were often blocked by the question of Internet or they have never been getting a loan. I'd like to thank you very much." - Hadamou Bonzi 

"Greetings good people.Business is in good condition." - John Mwathi

"HALLO ALL;' thankyou zidisha people for all your support am hoping and waiting for my loan thahkyou all in advance" - Daniel Mungai 

"hallo there zidisha people i hope everything is fine there . here paul is fine in my business as usual hoping all thing will go as god plan it i have seen milacle in the busineses of the people who have already got their money from zidisha their bussines is doing fine ;;may god bless you all as you go on with my biding and leding me your money THANKYOU ALL" - Paul Mwangi 

"thank you to all Zidisha lenders. I did receive all the loan and on Saturday I went to Nakuru town to buy more items for business. My business is now fully stocked and I have already introduced many new clothes for my customers. We are experiencing a dry season and its very hot and dusty here. All in all we are used to this kind of season. Blessed to you all Zidisha team." - Mercy Njeri

"After recieving the loan Ahmadi went to the place for small fish sales. Part of the money bought new fish and fish food, the hope is that in 3 months he can already begin to harvest the product. Sorry if this news is late because since beginning activity Ahmadi has been so busy with his cultivating schedule and also his crafting job that Ahmadi has to finish. Several of Ahmadi's friends are enthusiastic about the zidisha program, because there are friend's of his that want to open their own business. They have already joined training at the Tiara Foundation of Work Growth. Thank you Zidisha." - Received from Ibu Titik Winarti, director of Tiara Institution where Mr Ahmadi works

"Hi Zidisha, I am Abraham Mwangi from Kiptangwanyi Nakuru kenya am very greatful to Zidisha organization.I didnt understand the importance of comments but am grateful because one of the Zidisha team Member visited me at my premises here at Kiptangwanyi trading center where my business is located on 2nd Feb on 2012. Since i was the 1st person to receive the loan from Zidisha in this area most of community members has now joined the organization am sure i understand 90% of them. For the 1st time i had a problem with my repayment schedule but now am okay. Am holding several projects since the fuel and spair business is learnt by my wife Veronica. Am having a transportation project which am learning here at Kitagwanyi with my own car. Am planning to get the 2nd loan which i will use it by starting a new project of dairy cows for the production of milk. The half of the amount i will add more stock to serve more customers. The project will help my family with milk and also selling to Brookside company, Am very grateful to Zidisha." - Abraham Mwangi

"thank you all of you for your generous bidding towards my loan" - Daniel Maina"I very greatfull to Zidisha your webb site software is very perfect i just paid my loan installment and it was update in less than 12 hour and I can access the information from my account to confirm payment well done Zidisha youare very efficient." - Gladys Kagunda