Wilson Wamusosi

Thank you for your loan. It has been disbursed to Wilson Wamusosi by Action Now: Kenya in Kenya. We are excited to watch this business grow. Over the next 15 - 18 months, Action Now: Kenya will be collecting repayments from this entrepreneur and posting progress updates on the Kiva website.

Jovial Wilson has been running his carpentry shop for the past 3 years, and like the other carpenters in his area, Wilson finds it difficult to get consistent jobs. However, since receiving his loan, Wilson has been able to buy a lot of supplies that have attracted customers and improved his business. This means that Wilson can bring in from Ksh5,000- 7,000 per week ($80-$112), which helps to support the 10 people who are dependent on Wilson.

Wilson is also a local Pastor, and I have had the pleasure of sharing a few meals and some laughs with him. He is very well respected and well liked gentleman in the community, and utilizes his role as pastor to help reach out to young people in the slums; encouraging them to work with Action Now Kenya on some of their other outreach programs, such as supporting vulnerable young adults get vocational training.

Due to the supplies which Wilson purchased through the good will of kiva lenders ,the number of customers has grown ,he is very grateful to his kiva lenders and hes wishing them a MERRY X-MAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008!

Wison's business is going well. We visited him at his workshop on the 23rd of January and found him busy making some school desk which he had won a tender to supply. His main worry right now is a lack of customers due to post-election unrest which was worsened by the killing of the local Minister of Parliament.

Wilson Wamusosi used the loan he received to stock up his business. Unfortunately after the post election violence, business never really picked up. It has been difficult for him to repay back the loan as scheduled but he is optimistic that he will make it.

He is however considering a switch in business from timber/carpentry to supplying gas cylinders. He is convinced that the gas business will bear more fruit, as this is main method of cooking for most people. He is thankful to the KIVA lenders for giving him the chance to change his life and that of his family.

Action Now Kenya held a three-day business training seminar for approximately 25 borrowers on November 27-29. Many of the borrowers who attended were also Kiva borrowers, such as Wilson Wamusosi.

I attended 2 days of the training, which was held in a mix of Swahili and English, in order to ensure that all clients understood all of the information in the seminar.

I spoke with many of the clients, and they assured me that such a seminar was extremely helpful for them and for their businesses; indeed, most of the borrowers had never attended such a seminar or received any formal business training whatsoever. Most borrowers never had the opportunity to attend college and many had not finished high school.

ANK brought in a CPA/financial consultant to teach them basic bookkeeping and record-keeping techniques, financial planning, business planning and various business-strategy techniques. Also, the Kenyan Revenue Authority (the Kenyan IRS) came in on Day 2 in order to discuss taxes and other fees associated with business. Some small business in Kenya have in the past been conned into paying taxes to a fraudulent tax collector who simply shows up with a fake badge and demands money and intimidates the business owner. Now, the business owners know what to look for, what kinds of questions they should ask, how to defend themselves against fraudulent conmen, and how to engage the actual tax collectors.

Such experts were immensely helpful to the borrowers, as they normally would not have access to government officials (like the KRA) or the money to speak with a financial consultant.

What was also quite impressive was the hope and optimism it gave the borrowers. Many of them have been struggling in the post-election violence environment and also with the recent price spikes in energy and various staple foods, such as corn and wheat flours. Topics such as “business planning” were something completely new to them, as most people approach their businesses on a day-to-day basis and were caught completely off-guard by these sharp price increases.

Although the concept of planning for the future may seem obvious to many people, the borrowers are used to living on a more immediate, day-to-day schedule. The borrowers have always been capable of planning ahead, but have never implemented it as part of their business. But now, with the shock of the recent price spikes and the ideas they learned about at the training, the borrowers realize the importance of planning ahead, not only strategically but also financially.

Some quotes from borrowers at the training:

“I was considering shutting down my restaurant, but now I think that I can make some plans and figure out a way to cut costs and stay open”

“Right now I am selling pants for women, but after hearing about diversifying in the training, I will try to be a one-stop-shop for women’s clothing, and offer handbags, shoes, and shirts. My wholesaler sells all of those things, so I should just buy them in bulk and sell them”

“Now I see that I should take my profit and save some of it for emergencies, and then put the other part back into my business”

“Maybe I will not need any more loans in a few years”

It cannot be underestimated how this training affected the outlook of the clients. The concepts that were introduced during the training were completely new for almost all of them and it gave them hope that they can do something to change their business, beyond just waiting and hoping for customers to show up.

Wilson Wamusosi used the loan he received to stock up his business and to buy machines. Unfortunately after the post election violence, business never really picked up. It has been difficult for him to repay back the loan as scheduled but he is optimistic that he will make it. After ANK had three day training in Dec 2008 which he attended, Wilson is optimistic that his business will pick up after applying what he learnt, he is still grateful to all KIVA lenders and ANK for their support and understanding.

On behalf of ANK staff.

Wilson Wamusosi's Questionaire when we visited his workshop in Kayole.

Wilson Wamusosi's Questionaire (2) when we met him in his workshop in Kayole.

Wilson Wamusosi's Photo when we visited him in his workshop in Kibera.