Mårten    Dec 21, 2015

Thank you Lucy for the payment last month; not much left now :)

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for you and your shop!

KM    Aug 22, 2015

Thank-you very much for your repayment on August 13th.

KM    Jun 8, 2015

Hello - how are things? It's been awhile since we've gotten any word from you. Please let us know how everything is going with you.

KM    Apr 6, 2015

Thank-you for continuing to catch up on your repayments.

KM    Mar 2, 2015

Thank-you for your most recent repayment. If you have the time, it would be great to get some news from you.

MDILLENB    Jul 2, 2014

Dear Mrs. Mungai,
thank you for the early repayment. How is your family, are they all fine? How is your business going? Are you confident and what are the opportunities?
I am fine and working in germany as information consultant, but i am interested and educated in agriculture and very interested in our business.

Best regards
Marco

KM    Oct 23, 2013

Hello - Thank-you for your recent repayment. How are things with you? Is your shop doing about as you expected, and are your dairy cows doing well? I hope that everyone in your family is happy and healthy.

mewesten    Oct 23, 2013

Dear Mrs. Mungai,
I'm hoping that you are well and your business helps provide for you.
Were you able to buy additional tailoring material for your clothing shop, as planned?

My best to you.
Marvin

mewesten    Sep 21, 2013

Dear Mrs. Mungai,
Your first payment on your new loan arrived today, exactly on time. Thank you for that, ma'am.
Were you able to buy additional tailoring material for your clothing shop, as planned?
I hope you and your business are doing well.
Best wishes,
Marvin

mewesten    Sep 21, 2013

Dear Mrs. Mungai,
Your first payment on your new loan arrived today. Thank you for that, ma'am.
Were you able to buy additional tailoring material for your clothing shop, as planned?
I hope you and your business are doing well.
Best wishes,
Marvin

Lucy    Jul 1, 2013

I thank the lord that my business have been been doing well and i would like to to be paying an installment of 8000 because now i am able to do so. thank you zidisha team for what you are doing because you helping people to uplift their business. thank you very much because i have also befitted from your loan.

dcembrola    Nov 19, 2012

November 17, 2012

Hello, my name is Dan Cembrola, one of Zidisha’s Kenya Client Relationship Managers. I am currently visiting Zidisha borrowers in Nakuru and its outskirts.

Today I visited Lucy Mungai in the village of Bahati, a farming community 25 kilometers north of Nakuru. Bahati is an area that is known for its fertile land and high rainfall. The majority of the population, including many Zidisha clients, is thusly involved in either the farming or the livestock business. Not Lucy. For the past twenty years Lucy has been the proprietor of, to my knowledge, the only boutique in town.

Lucy is a tailor by profession. In 1992, she decided to open the boutique that is still in operation today. Bahati was much smaller twenty years ago she said and it was much more difficult for her to travel to Nakuru for supplies before the road was paved. Lucy sews every piece of clothing that is sold in the boutique herself. She also does clothing repairs and has used part of her loan from Zidisha to begin selling shoes, backpacks, and handbags.

One benefit of the rapid growth of Bahati in the last twenty years has been the need to open additional schools in the area. Lucy now has contracts with several local schools to produce school uniforms. This has helped her business extraordinarily. She tailors new uniforms for students at the beginning of each term, repairs them throughout the school year when necessary, and makes a few additional uniforms to have on hand in case students move to the Bahati area in the middle of the school year.

With her next loan, Lucy wants to diversify her business by increasing her inventory of shoes, backpacks, and handbags and may add jewelry to the inventory. She says that while being a main supplier of school uniforms is a reliable income, she wants to ensure that her business does not become overly dependent on the uniforms.

As I was leaving Lucy’s shop, I almost missed a hidden gem and a result of her Zidisha loan, a small side room in the boutique where Lucy has put two massage tables. She opened it a year ago and said it has been a great aid to the local community, many of whom spend their days tending to their farms. The most incredible part however is when I asked her the price she said 100 Schillings (a little over $1 US) for a 45 minute massage.

Eliduc    Oct 1, 2012

Dear Lucy, thank you for your repayments, it is important for us because then we can lend the money to other people. As you are paying back before the schedule I hope your business is doing well. I hope that also you and your family have good times. All the best!

arnljot    Jan 24, 2012

Exemplary lender Lucy! I'd be happy to lend money to her in the future!

CatholicNetworking    Mar 21, 2011

God bless you Lucy! Best of luck in your endeavours!