Clenda is a 26-year-old mother of two who has spent the last eight years working on building her farming business. She employs one farmhand and sells the milk her cow produces at the local market. In order to increase milk production and earn an extra income, Clenda needed a loan of 25,000 KES (300 USD) to go towards purchasing a new dairy cow. Through Kiva’s Field Partner, Juhudi Kilimo, Clenda received a Kiva loan that was funded by 12 Kiva lenders worldwide. The extra income will help Clenda pay school fees for her children and increase her family’s standard of living. As production grows, she plans to purchase more dairy cows. Her loan has been fully repaid.
Wedza, Zimbabwe
Letticia is a farmer in the district of Wedza in Zimbabwe. She used her Kiva loan to purchase a water pump, irrigation pipes and fertilizer to increase production on her land.
The investment has allowed her to expand her farm’s acreage to produce more crops. It is now mixed with the maize, beans, tomatoes and sugar cane that cover the ground in green. She also just started raising goats.
Letticia’s father passed away, making her the family’s primary provider and leader. She and her farm are now sources of great family and community pride. Her new income is helping her take care of her family, including two children left to her after her sisters’ deaths. She pays for all the children’s school fees, clothes and food.
More about Camfed and one of Letticia’s meetings:
As part of Camfed’s model, the women take part in monthly meetings where they mentor young female entrepreneurs and provide support. Patrick, our fellow in Zimbabwe, described the meeting below and quoted several borrowers, who were likely a mix of Kiva and non-Kiva borrowers:
After some formalities, the girls each stood and introduced themselves. We heard one touching story after another of how these young women’s lives had been completely transformed because of their businesses – not just from the income, but the new place they now hold in their household and their community. And many of them are employing others in their townships, thus extending the benefit of their success.
