Volonte Plus Group

Volonté is a group based in Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The group is comprised of 30 members. One of those members is Joseph Bitumbi.

Joseph is trained to be a nurse and has owned his own pharmacy since 2007. He does his business east of Kisangani, a city that was destroyed by deadly clashes of foreign armies in the year 2000. Kisangani is located in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, in the Province Oriental which borders with Uganda and the Sudan.

Joseph started his business as an independent nurse who treated patients from his home. Concerned with serving his neighborhood’s community’s needs for medicines, in 2007 he decided to open a pharmacy with the financial support of loans from Hope Kisangani. Today that pharmacy generates a profit of $350 per month for him.

In order to realize his dream of one day opening a Health Clinc, in 2007 Joseph decided to join one of Hope Kisangani’s group – the group is called “Volonté Plus Kis”. He is the vice president of the group. The group “Volonté Plus Kis” is the first of Hope Kisangani’s groups to receive loans from Kiva.

Joseph will use the next loan that he receives to buy the pharmaceutical products that will increase his pharmacy’s stock and therefore grow his revenue.

He is 41 years old, married and the father of 5 children; the children’s ages range from 6 to 21 years. Two of the children are attending school.

Translated from French by Margot Bonner, Kiva Volunteer

Volonté est un groupe basé à Kisangani en République Démocratique du Congo constitué de 30 membres. Un de ces membres est Joseph Bitumbi.

Joseph est infirmier de formation et gère sa propre pharmacie depuis 2007. Il exerce son activité commerciale à l’est de Kisangani, une ville qui a été détruite par des affrontements meurtriers des armées étrangères en l’an 2000. Kisangani se situe au nord-est de la République Démocratique du Congo dans la Province Orientale qui fait frontière avec l’Ouganda et le Soudan. Joseph a commencé son activité entant qu’infirmier ambulant qui soignait des malades dans son milieu. Soucieux de desservir la population son quartier en médicaments, il décide en 2007 avec l’appui financier de Hope Kisangani à travers des crédits, d’ouvrir une pharmacie qui lui génère aujourd’hui un bénéfice de $350 par mois. Pour réaliser son rêve d’ouvrir un jour un Centre de Santé, Joseph a décidé en 2007 d’intégrer un des groupes de Hope Kisangani dénommé « Volonté Plus Kis ». Il y est vice-président. Ce groupe « Volonté Plus Kis », est le premier groupe de Hope Kisangani à bénéficier des prêts de Kiva. Le prochain prêt que Joseph recevra lui servira d’acheter des produits pharmaceutiques qui renforceront le stock de sa pharmacie en vue d’accroitre le revenu. Il est âgé de 41 ans, marié et père de 5 enfants dont leurs âges varient entre 6 et 21 ans. Deux d’entre eux sont scolarisés.



About Group Loans
In a group loan, each member of the group receives an individual loan but is part of a group of individuals bound by a group guarantee. Under this arrangement, each member of the group supports one another and is responsible for paying back the loans of their fellow group members if someone is delinquent or defaults. Learn more

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