Nicholas Odhiambo

Nicholas is 30 years old, married and has one child. He lives within the Kibera slums with his two other siblings since his parents are now old and reside in the Western Province of Kenya. Nicholas supports his siblings mainly by paying their school fees. He is educated up to the level of standard eight (Primary Level Education) but he is keen to see his siblings get quality education, something he was not able to get because his parents could not afford the school fees.
Nicholas completed vocational training, including an apprenticeship, in shoe making at the Makina market within the Kibera slums through support from his uncle. He has been involved in mending shoes for twelve and a half years now and he is proud of his work. This is because he is making a difference in someone’s life. Through his business, he has received tenders from the Meridian Hotel in Nairobi to make shoes for their staff. He also gets tenders from sponsored Primary Schools within Kibera.
Nicholas got his first loan from Kiva lenders for USD $100 in May 2007. With this loan, Nicholas bought a sewing machine and 25 pairs of soles for his shoe stall. This made his work much easier because now, as a proud owner of a sewing machine, he doesn’t have to rent his neighbor’s machine. Nicholas’ income has improved and Action Now: Kenya can bear witness to his having a good loan repayment record. He paid his loan on the specified dates and he never defaulted.
Nicholas now looks forward to getting an additional loan to renovate his stall since it’s not protected against rainy and windy days when the stall suffers a lot. He also intends to add stock due to a high demand for shoes during the upcoming festive season of December and in January when school opens. He therefore requests a loan of Ksh 15,000. With this loan Nicholas will be able to renovate his stall and purchase additional stock. The repayment period for this loan is 10 months.

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