Henry Okoth

Nywol Ber-Unity,bussiness received a loan money worthy $500 from Kiva as a loan to make their bussiness increase in size and profit.

They have bought retail shop commodities like sugar, soap, salt, cooking oil,bathing soap, Bar soap, paraffin, and many other items in big quantity.

More concerning this bussiness will come in three weeks time.

Thanks alot for supporting this bussiness with money for loan.

Yours Moses.

Essential commodities is a very special business because at least each family in the rural Uganda where people do not have electricity to preserve food and other commodities. This shop provides the service to the entire community in most of the needed items of day to day use as follows:

Sugar, salt, Tea leaves, paraffin, cooking oil, soap both for washing and bathing, Ommo, beans, posho, rice, millet and cassava flour etc.

This business is realizing a good profit because of the number of customers who come in every day. They approximately serve around 300 people each day.

Each day they can sell up to;

- 50 kgs of sugar

- 80 kgs of millet and cassava flour

- 20 bars of soap

- 30 litres of cooking oil

- 30 kgs of beans

- 40 kgs of posho

- 20 pieces of bathing soap etc.

They increase the stock in weekly basis according to the demand of the needed items. In each item bought at least this business gets 30% profit excluding the expenditure on transport. The business owners are planning to expand the business by extending the shop hall by breaking the partition that separates the two rooms.

I’m impressed with this business and their ventures. My major note here is that this business benefits both the owners and the entire community. People of the villages around use to work for over 15 Kms going to look for the commodities that has finally come at their door side.

The place of the business is well planed and strategic for all. I will give you more details of this business in the next journal.

Thanks for your kind heart of supporting this business.

This grocery business is situated in the main market were all people of all walks of life come for shopping.

They deal in the following items:

- Fruits of different types

- Green vegetable of different types

- Tomatoes, onions and spices

- Irish potatoes, Ovacados, water melon

- Pumpkins, fresh beans, fresh peas etc.

All people who live in town depend on the market stock for feeding. For this reason, this business is having a great opportunity to meet so many customers coming to buy from them each day.

They can get a profit of at least 50,000/= Ugandan money every day. To get this money in Uganda in only one day, is a great achievement. The business is picking up very fast and soon the stock increase will demand for a larger space than were they are now.

I will keep you posted in our next Journal on this business.

Thanks for supporting this business.

Henry is a married man with five children. He started his business through baking bricks and as he went on, Village Enterprise Fund (VEF) gave him a grant of 100$ to improve on his business after realizing good profits, he started a small retail shop and he has been lucky that he has attended very many trainings of business management bookkeeping and selection of good enterprises.

His business is the only in the whole village that is fifteen kilometers from town and this makes him have wide coverage of customers who buy his goods and leave him with lots of profits and to this date Henry’s retail shop has become so big and when he requested for a loan of 500$ , his shop has become so big and it’s now both selling goods in retail and wholesale to other people who have began selling up small canteens in the other far parts of the Village. The loan has helped a lot in improving his business and his shop now has all the necessities of the whole community a round him and this makes him get a lot of customers, he is able to pay school fees to his own children and some of his relatives children.The business boomed greatly during this Christmas season where he sold a lot of stock with a lot of profits and now his business has grown with the recent stock he has just brought in to his shop after Christmas.

He is capable of handling and paying back the loan promptly.

I am glad to let you know this that Mr. Henry has proven to be one of the most successful Kiva loan beneficiaries all from the time he received the loan. Henry’s retail shop is changing day and night in that not only do the changes take place at the retail shop but also to Henry at his business, he was so changed in that had grown fat, healthy and looked more relaxed, the shop is now un believable to be under his ownership.

Mr. Henry has proved to be capable man in handling and repaying of the loan money, his children have recently gone back to school and have already paid up all school fees for all the three children in secondary, he enjoys a lot of profits to a tune of 70% from 30% at a time when he received the loan late last year. He is then more careful with his business, buys a lot of stock in his shop and he now enjoys a lot of market. Mr. Henry has already been paying back his loan money in monthly installments to Kiva Office as a repayment for the loan.

Thanks,

Joseph

Reporter

Henry Okoth, when I visited his business, in his own words, called himself blessed woman. Because according to his life experience that he had, he thought it would not reach the level that he is in now. Simply because of what God has done for him, the family and the community as well. Henry Okoth Operates his business in Tororo – Ugand. He started it with very small capital before he I dentified with Village Enterprise Fund, and then recorganized with Kiva as one of the organizations that change lives for the poor of the poorest with active business oriented. He was at first, operating Brick making business and she was realizing some good profit out of the business. Then through the loan kiva gave him, he went a head and opened another type of business i.e. “Retail shop�. In both businesses like for Brick making get a profit of 65% and retail business 40%.

Henry is very okay, he has expanded the business by stocking more things for the shop, and has got helpers who assist him in the process of making bricks for sale. For my own assessment, I have seen this business oriented man will not fail in the struggle of fight against poverty in her family. He helps the entire community at large by bringing services nearer them and gives at fair prices hence has made him get more, and more customers in Tororo Centre.

Henry Okoth wished all the funders of Kiva well for the heart of helping the poor and he said, “ May God bless all of them abundantly�.

More updates will come soon.

Thanks,

Hellen

Brick making and retail

By:  Henry Okoth

Report from business owner.

 

 I send my gratitude and thanks to all Kiva funders.  To my own assessment towards Henry’s business, I have seen many changes that she has made on the progress of her business, that is to say; she now makes more brick and sells it in wholesale to her customers who come and fetch it will lorries for purpose of construction.  She has also employed workers who in turn help him make bricks and she pays them per day (wage). Her profit per day is 75%.

 

She is so much happy for the good work that the supporters of kiva are doing to Africa.

More updates will come soon.

 

Thanks.

 

Hellen.

Reporter.

 

 

 

Brick making and retail

By:  Henry Okoth

Report from business owner.

 

I’m a social worker of Kiva office Africa, when I visited Henry Okoth business to assess on how its progressing, he told me that month was challenging in the way that things were not moving on well on her side due to much rains in the area.

 

He had made over 1000 bricks but rain just washed them away which was a great loss for him this time. He has been covering the bricks with grass and the people whom he sent to cut grass delayed to bring grass. He is on the view of just building a tent for his work so as to avoid such a loss to occur again.

 

However, he said he is not giving up though he has had that loss.  He is looking for ways on how to construct a shelter for making his bricks safe. As a result of that he has failed to pay for this month and he had to clear the people who helped him to do the work without fail so they can help him next time again.

 

He sends his regards to all the supporter and donors of kiva, thanking them for their work of helping the poor of the poorest like. Her life and her family has changed despite of the challenges he met.

 

I will get you informed next time update

 

Thanks,

 

Alfred reporter.

   

 

Brick Making Business

By: Henry Okoth

Unity

Report from business Owner.

 

I'm Hellen giving business report of  Henry Okoth. In my visit to her business last month of July 2006, on how I assesed is true with what she explained below:

 

 I’m so much greatful for the efforts that you have put towards my business.  Through the loan that I borrowed from Kiva, has enabled me add stock of firewood which help me in the process of burning bricks so that it comes out nice in good quality. I'm  now in planning to complete building a house which is in a roofing level. Because of the winter season where we are in, bricks get damaged during burning process, as the workers are in mood of burning, rains come in and interfere hence cause the losses in the business. This days   profit of my business has gone low i.e 55% in a day.

 

Though I experience such problems in a business,My life still is continuing and I have hope in the business.

 

More updates will reach you soon.

 

Thanks,

Hellen

Presenter.

Brick making and Retail

By: Henry Okoth

I’m a staff working with Kiva office Africa. I visited Henry Okoth site to evaluate on how her business is progressing, I found out that she has laid more bricks three hips packed for burning, she has three hips for sale, she had already sold one hip.

Her business is doing well she has many customers who come to purchase bricks. She gets good profits.

These profits enabled her to improve on her business adding on more bricks to lay and burning. It has enabled her provide necessary needs for her family. Feeding, treatment, and also paying back the loan money. Her is very happy with her family. Their life has changed they are doing well.

They have a plan of constructing a house for their family. He has bought two bulls for ploughing.

The community which they supply bricks also appreciate her work.

She sends greetings to all supporters and donors of Kiva .

Thanks.

Reporter

Stella.