mike123riley    Oct 18, 2012

Dear Lenders,

Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet Serigne in the Point E neighborhood, not far from downtown Dakar. Serigne, who prefers the name Cheikh is doing quite well. Though his most recent repayment has yet to come, that is only because of the nature of his business. The Muslim holiday of Tabaski will be celebrated in the coming weeks and the sales of Cheikh's sheep will allow him to make a large Zidisha repayment to you his gracious lenders. Cheikh has also assured me that he plans to share a long comment, complete with photos from the holiday because he wants to share with you how they celebrate here in Senegal.
Not only are Cheikh's sheep sales going to be a big boost for him, but he has recently started a new job. After awhile I got to calling him Mister Manager, because he is now running the front desk of a brand new hotel in the Point E neighborhood. Cheikh has come a long way in his life and I was lucky to hear his story. Born in the village, Cheikh gained wisdom on raising livestock from his father and uncle, then at the tender age of 10 years old he moved with his father to Dakar to begin working in the city.. He and his father operated several small boutiques (general stores) selling all kinds of necessities to their clients. Over time Cheikh has learned how to be a salesman and how to grow his network, the smile on his face says everything about how happy he is to be running the operations of this hotel and he has all kinds of plans and services he wishes to offer through the hotel in the future. Cheikh is a person of dignity and initiative, and has been able to grow his career with the help of Zidisha. As he says, "Zidisha est quelque chose exxxxtttrraaaoorrdinare!" Zidisha has certainly been extraordinary for him. Thank you and keep your eyes peeled for more updates from Cheikh down the road.

Photos:
1) Cheikh in courtyard of hotel
2) Cheikh at front desk of hotel
3) Cheikh's new business card

Serigne Mbacké    Jul 27, 2012

Bonjour, les preteurs. C'est M. Gueye qui salue tous les preteurs et excusez pour le retard de paiement. Je vais dire les difficultes de payer et mes engagements de payer. Il y avait un probleme au niveau du village pour l'aliment du betail, pour les moutons. Parce qu'il y avait la pluie qui en retard sur les regions de Cafrine. Donc j'ai depense beaucoup de l'argent pour l'aliment des betails pourles moutons, en total 213.000 CFA. J'ai commence aussi la situation commence a regler. J'ai prepare aussi pour commencer le mois de tabaski pour les moutons pour vendre ganger un peu de benefice pour rembourser a Zidisha. Je m'excuse aussi pour l'expliquer ca avant parce que le travail est unn peu dure avec moi. J'ai beaucoup de choses a le faire ici a Dakar avec moi. Et je te remercie de l'engagement a Zidisha et je suis toujours payer et respecter l'engagement de Zidisha parce que le pret de Zidisha est tres important pour moi. J'ai fait beaucoup de choses avec le pret de Zidisha et ma famille aussi elle etait tres contente sur le pret et parce que j'ai beaucoup de choses a le faire sur mon niveau de village, sur les moutons qui sont la-bas. Et mon papa il etait tres content sur ca parce que avant lui il fait des eleveurs mais il est vieux maintenant mais c'est moi qui avait commence ca dans mon village natal Acema 3. Et je te remercie, et je remercie les bailleurs aussi.

Comment typed by CRM intern Marc Figueras, ditacted by Serigne.

SEGant    Jun 6, 2012

Dear Lenders,

My name is Sam Gant and I'm one of the Client Relationship Managers active in Senegal right now. Today I met with Serigne at the mosque where he works in the genteel Point E neighborhood, and in only a few hours received a dizzying and informative tour of the Mosque, Serigne's home, and the neighborhood in general. Serigne remains engaged in a diversity of industries--he primarily divides his time between doing upkeep work at the mosque and working at his store Parapluies Mondiales in the HLM market. Although he continues to buy food for his sheep he has stopped expanding the flock that his family maintains in the village.

He explained that business has been slow following the tumultuous elections, and he expects that he will be able to maximize his loan once the commercial climate improves. He anticipates a significant financial boost in the fall as clients begin buying sheep for a number of upcoming festivals, but for the time being the flocks need time to mature. He was very appreciative towards the Zidisha lenders and hopes to keep you apprised of future developments.

Serigne Mbacké    Jun 6, 2012

bonjour le business a ralenti un peu j'attenrs que les moutons maturent. je m'exuses pour le retard de paiement je verserai bientot

Serigne Mbacké    Jun 6, 2012

bonjour le business a ralenti un peu j'attenrs que les moutons maturent. je m'exuses pour le retard de paiement je verserai bientot

Serigne Mbacké    Jun 6, 2012

Hi, business is rather slow. I am waiting for the sheep to grow. I appologize for the late payment. I will pay shortly

Translated by     Show original

bonjour le business a ralenti un peu j'attenrs que les moutons maturent. je m'exuses pour le retard de paiement je verserai bientot

camcarlton    Mar 22, 2012

Last Friday I and fellow interns Hal and Basma had the pleasure of visiting Serigne Mbacke Gueye in the cool shade of the Point E mosque close to his place of residence. Due to a slightly hilarious confusion of names (he introduced himself as Cheikh, rather than Serigne), we conducted most of the interview with him without realizing that it was actually taking place. Nonetheless, since our gracious host also happened to be a Zidisha client we passed the time in easy conversation on the subject of his work and family life as we waited for Serigne to show up. It wasn’t till after we had already shared together a scrumptious meal of ceeb u ñiebbi (rice and beans) and some cold pinapple juice that the error was finally cleared up and we realized we’d been talking to Serigne Gueye the whole time.

Throughout the interview, two things became clear to us: that Cheikh Serigne really appreciates his Zidisha loan, and that he really seems to know how to use it, investing simultaneously in three different lines of work.

Here in Dakar, he has two jobs: vending car windshields and batteries; and managing a small street boutique in the bustling HLM district of Northern Dakar. Its sole employee is his younger brother, who sells shoes, sweaters, perfumes, and like merchandise bought with Serigne’s capital. Serigne and his brother live here in Dakar with their uncle’s family and send the profits they make back to the farming village of Sema III, where Serigne’s third occupation of raising animals is based. There are 15 lambs and a multitude of chickens belonging to the Gueye family in Sema III now. This is a trade that the whole family is involved in, and his other two brothers as well as four sisters continue to assist his parents in tending to the farm and the daily needs of rural village life—all of which would be impossible, for the time being, without the financial boost provided by Serigne and his brother’s work in the city.

However, Serigne is strongly motivated to continue his work with Zidisha after reimbursing his first loan in June so as to eventually save up enough money that he can settle down and work on the family farm himself, without all this necessary commuting back and forth. Currently he is only able to visit his family about once a month, spending the rest of his time in Dakar. He spoke enthusiastically about his plans to shrewdly time the purchase of more lambs and hopefully cattle in the future so that they become ready for sale on the meat market at the time of upcoming Senegalese/Muslim holidays. The most rapidly approaching of these is Tabaski (or Eid al-Adha in Arabic), which commemorates Abraham’s mountain journey and near sacrifice of his son Isaac, and which is traditionally celebrated by feasting on lamb. From the way he talked about his long term plans, I could tell that of all the work he does, his passion and greatest ambition lies in farming.

Here are some pictures of Serigne, the mosque where we held our interview, and also us sitting down to a SECOND lunch with his uncle's family when he took us to visit their house after the interview.

Neequayes    Jan 23, 2012

Update

Hello my name is Stephen Neequaye. I am one of the new interns with Zidisha along with Maguette Gackou and Anicet Kouao. I recently had the pleasure of meeting with Monsieur Serigne Gueye. Currently, he has been experiencing financial difficulty due to his wife being sick. Gueye and his older brother are the sole providers of a family of 12 people. He works two jobs along with running his business that he started thanks to Zidisha.

Current Businesses
With the money from Zidisha, Gueye successfully started his sheep selling business and then used the money he earned to invest in fabric. Now he sells fabric at the HLM market, one of the more popular markets in Dakar. He spends 100,000 cfas each month to rent out the room and pays 50,000 cfas a month to pay the other people who run the store. Electricity is 50,000 cfas and about 25,000 cfas is incurred in taxes each year. With the loan from Zidisha, Serigne generates an extra income of 100,000 cfas to 200,000 cfas depending on the month that he uses to support his family. Whatever he has left over he uses it to pay for materials for his business.

Family Obligations
Gueye also pays for the education of his younger brother and his two nieces which currently run about 30,000 cfas each month. For the entire family each month he spends 50,000 cfas for food which is equal to about 100 dollars. For transportation he pays 30,000 cfas and 20,000 cfas for water.

Future Business Plans
Because unexpected family expenses can be costly at times, he is contemplating in eventually starting another business selling credit since he already has a store at the market and has connections with some of the other vendors. Gueye considers himself a crafty business man who is determined to provide for his family.

Serigne Mbacké    Jan 23, 2012

Hello, I had a problem with my family. My wife became sick and was hospitalized. I spent a lot of money and this is why I am behind on my payments. Please excuse. The problem is over and I am moving forward. I would like to continue making payments on the 9th of March if I can. My wife has recovered and has returned back to work.

Translated by     Show original

Bonjour, Jai une probleme avec famille. Ma femme a ete malade et hopitalise. Je depense beaucoup de argent et a cause de ca je retard le payment. Juste excuse le probleme est fini et je vai demarrer. Je voudrais continuer le payment le 9 de Mardi si je pourrais.Ma femme a recupere et a retourne a son travaille.

Serigne Mbacké    Dec 11, 2011

I present you here one of the members of the new henhouse which walks in the garden. I am so satisfied with my realizations! Thank you zidisha.

Serigne Mbacké    Dec 11, 2011

Hello to all! It's been a long time! I hope that you go all well. I was occupied these last months with finalizing the sale of my sheeps for the feast of Tabaski.Thanks to God I was able to sell . I spent a very good and beautiful party in family and I took some photos to share them with you.
In the first photo my brother knifes the sheep. It is the compulsory custom of Tabaski, since the Prophet Abraham.
In the second photo It is one of cows which I bought after the sale of muttons because I want to widen my breeding and to invest in this very carrier sector also.
In the third photo it is the herd of cows.
See you later and take care of yourselves. Bye!

mdenti    Oct 7, 2011

My name is Megan Denti and I am currently one of Zidisha’s Client Relations interns with Jenna Garchar and Alex Villec. We caught up with Serigne this morning at his home in the Point E neighborhood of Dakar. We were welcomed into his home and shared some delicious pineapple soda and fanta. He was extremely enthusiastic to talk with us about his business endeavors and loan with Zidisha. As we sat down to talk, he was proud to show his invoices from business-related purchases made possible by Zidisha.

BUSINESS
Serigne is ambitious with his sheep business and is committed to expanding his operations. Currently, he has 25 sheep in a village about 250km outside of Dakar. He depends on financial support from Zidisha to buy capital and ensure adequate inventory. Favorable weather conditions have improved his business and he is looking forward to the celebration of Tabaski, during which Muslim families buy and sacrifice a sheep. This is when he will make the majority of his sales. In these weeks leading up to the holiday, he receives orders from clients in Dakar. A few days before Tabaski, he will transport the sheep from the village in order to finalize the transaction. Serigne spoke highly of the shepherds who care for his livestock and prepare them for sale.
FUTURE
After Serigne repays this loan, he hopes to use his profits and eventually take out another loan to expand his livestock with cows and build a fence on his land. He also wants to continue to buy and raise sheep. He praises the work that Zidisha does, which has generated much interest among entrepreneurs in his area. Serigne views Zidisha as a way to bypass traditional barriers to credit and said it plays an integral role in his work as an entrepreneur. He knows that the profit he makes from this loan will be beneficial to his daughter and the future of his family.

• Serigne Mbacké    Oct 11, 2011

  Hi Megan, Thank you for your comment. It's very nice! It was a real pleasure to welcome you in my home. Soon in Zidisha!

  Log in to reply • Share

Serigne Mbacké    Sep 27, 2011

I asked to change my calendar of repayment because I met some problems in the food of the cattle due to the rainy lack this year.
It is the reason for which I was not able to sell sheeps to the date when I had planned. But fortunately the situation settled now and I could begin to pay off in December, by means of God.

Serigne Mbacké    Aug 15, 2011

Hello to all!
I wish a very good holiday of Assumption to all the Catholics of Zidisha!
God Blesses you all!

Julia Kurnia    Aug 15, 2011

Dear all,

We recently added functionality to the website which may be of use in Mr Gueye's situation. This allows borrowers to extend their repayment schedules, while compensating lenders via payment of additional interest at the same annualized rate over the longer period the loan is held.

If Mr Gueye wishes to extend his repayment schedule, I would suggest that he use this option to do so formally. This would require him to begin making repayments within one month (so the next payment would fall due September 9), but the monthly installments would be smaller as they would be spread out over a longer period. Perhaps Mr Gueye could manage three month's worth of repayments without selling too many of his sheep before the Tabaski holiday in December.

This option can be accessed via the link "Reschedule" (Modifier calendrier de remboursement) from Mr Gueye's borrower account.

Please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any questions or comments regarding loan rescheduling.

Best,

Julia Kurnia, Director

[email protected]

Daniel    Aug 10, 2011

Hi Serigne, hate to differ with the other lenders, but I guess I'm not as agreeable as they are... I recognize that markets and weather change, but that's just part of the business, isn't it? What you're asking -- to defer the loan by 4 months without having made a single payment -- is a highly unusual modification, reserved for only extreme cases. I bet that if any of the lenders here, who are mostly regular folks, were to ask to defer their own loans by four months, they'd be met with incredulous looks and eventually a notice of default.

Sure, this is not a normal bank, and most Zidisha lenders recognize that some clients fall into hardship and are willing to be flexible. If you look around the site, you'll find some borrowers have fallen on especially hard times, one even requiring major surgery (and major medical costs). And lenders here are understanding, and I've forgiven one of my loans and agreed to modify another. But your case is different in that you haven't made any payments at all. I ask that you try to make at least a few payments first (and on time), and then, if necessary, we can consider other options. Thanks.

• Serigne Mbacké    Aug 12, 2011

  Hello Daniel, first of all I would like to thank you for your advice and your help.
  I see that you are really involved in my business since the beginning.
  I completely agree with you about what you said on the ups and downs of the business.
  My only problem is that I really started here and I did not expect that this happens.
  My biggest fear is to have unpaid debts and I do not want this happening to me with you, who trust me as to lend me your money.
  I implore you to grant me this time I ask, otherwise I do not go out.
  I intend to repay half or even more from the first payment, having just passed the sheeps.
  I will do everything to not disappoint anyone, especially you, because you always send me your advice and guidance from the beginning.
  
  Thank you again.

  Log in to reply • Share

jimbo7256    Aug 8, 2011

I have no problem with that. I hope all turns out well.

• Serigne Mbacké    Aug 10, 2011

  Hi jimbo7256! Thank you a lot! I hope too and i will do my best to make it work.

  Log in to reply • Share

Serigne Mbacké    Aug 8, 2011

Good morning dear friends of Zidisha! I hope you are well being! I come to you today to make you a proposition. It's about my repayment. I have these times some problems in my business dues to the rainy season. The lack of rain this year causes the lack of animal feed. It distorted all my plans concerning my repayment. So my propositin is to begin repayment in Deceember 2011 at the place of this month. It will be just after the Tabaski feast, where every muslim kills sheep. It's the tradition of the feast. I want to wait that moment to sell all my sheeps. I am sure that all of them will be bought. I hope that you understand me and i need your agreement for that.
Many thanks to all and take care of yourselves.

• CatholicNetworking    Aug 9, 2011

  That's fine with me too. I just wonder how will you manage to feed your sheep for all these extra months. Good luck.
  
  PS: Your daughter is lovely!

  Log in to reply • Share

  • Serigne Mbacké    Aug 10, 2011

    Hello! Thank you for your approval! I feed them with the money I had saved for the little unexpected and the first two months of repayment. Normally it should be fine, with the help of God.
    
    PS: Thanks for my daughter! That's nice.

    Log in to reply • Share

Serigne Mbacké    Jul 27, 2011

Hello to all! I hope that you all well! I am pleased to say that my project advance as i hoped, by the Grace of God. And with your help also. You are a blessing to us all.
I consider you as my family, that is why I want to introduce my other passion :the gardening. I practice for a very long time also because it goes hand in hand with the livestock. Moreover, I would like even more develop this last sector, adding the breeding of cows. So, I would look a financing for the two, with your agreement of course!
I cultivated already a little beans, corn, peanuts, vegetables and fruits such as papaya and mango ... It is a sector which market a lot also, and can be done throughout the year, this is its advantage.
I invite you, my donors Zidisha, to come to Senegal, to visit me and look at what I accomplished in the village thanks to your help. I will be presenting to you my family and will show you our culture. I will be very pleased!
I share these few photos of the gardening with you, and I invite you to send me your questions and comments, I would say to you with a great pleasure. Soon on Zidisha or Senegal. Take care of you.

Serigne Mbacké    Jun 16, 2011

I enjoyed the occasion to see my family, specially my daughter.