Just Small Change – an update on the Focussed Ladies success.
The ‘Focussed Ladies’ have gone from strength to strength, and the below update shows the scale of their success. To go back and see how the story began – click here.
The women are always keen to enjoy more and have methods in place to try and do so, but the scale of how far they have come is clear to see. This is all thanks to the excellent work of Just Small Change.
Read below to get the latest update on the Focussed Ladies.
Jane Achieng Otiu
Now, Jane is comfortably making a healthy profit of Kshs 300-400 every day, thanks to expanding her stock and selling products such as fruit, crisps and fries. This is her only source of income so she doesn’t live a life of dreams, though her profit margins are enough to cover the rent and basic living costs. If the charity continues with its success, a bigger loan of Kshs 40,000 would enable her to put a cover over her stand, to protect it from the wind and rain.
Jane Naliaka John
As one of the Focussed Ladies, she has managed to employ two employees, and together they have made a relative success of the business. She is returning a healthy Ksh 200 profit on a day to day basis, due to the quality of her cooked meals: people come from all over to purchase. While the iron sheet has helped maintain her business, it is still suffering from a lack of space. A bigger loan of Ksh 40,000 would purchase tables and chairs, and would improve the number of customers.
Kesia Auma Aguko
Along with her husband Charles and their one year old child, Gerry, the family are slowly enjoying a better standard of living and the relief is clear to see. They are eating better quality meals on a consistent basis, and can now afford to buy materials that will build them a better home. The only few challenges are finding the additional labour to make the Rosaries, and storing the stock: they only have a tiny hut and this makes things vulnerable to theft. A larger loan of Kshs 45,000 would enable the family to rent a secure kiosk in a guarded compound, and would be an excellent investment.
Faith Achieng Ayieko
She makes a healthy profit of Kshs 500 per day, out of which she saves Kshs 200 per day. The Kshs 300 is enough to purchase school uniform for her children, the schooling fees, and rent and food for their home. She is generally doing okay, though the biggest challenge now is maintaining and managing her cash flow. The money saved will go a long way, though a sturdier loan would enable her to purchase a kiosk rather than rent one. Renting is costing Faith around Ksh 2000 per month, whereas purchasing one outright would cost Ksh 10,000.
Magdline Oluchi Odinga
Although Magdline has enabled her to buy the charcoal at a cheaper rate, she would be able to get more of a discount by buying in bulk with a larger loan. She has enjoyed relative success, especially because the industry is a ‘dirty’ role so that means less competition from other businesswomen. She attends regular training and finds it extremely useful, as she is learning about how to manage money and can share any problems with the other attendees. Customers wanting to purchase on credit is the only issue she faces.
Mercy Nyambura Gachuki
Mercy is now happily working independently, and is enjoying healthy profits as one of the Focussed Ladies. She is saving some of her profits to expand her business and also for emergencies and school fees. She is ahead in her loan repayments, and is enjoyable of a constructive life. Admirably, Mercy doesn’t want to ‘stand still’, and a bigger loan would enable her to buy materials in bulk, meaning her outgoings would be less.
~~~
Each of the Focussed Ladies are hoping to enjoy further success with a bigger loan, and Coinadrink are equally as committed to helping their cause. Through the sales of the bottled water for our bottled water coolers, we will continue to donate, and our work so far has not gone unnoticed. We received a thank you message from Carolyne Anyango in appreciation for our efforts. You can view it below…
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!