Juhudi Kilimo, East Africa

I grew up the daughter of farmers and now I rear poultry and cows. I started with 100 chicks, but it can take a while until they start making you money. It took four months before they started laying eggs. It was a long process, and the profit was so little. It was costing me and my family because the chicks weren’t yielding any real profits. Then I heard about Juhudi Kilimo.

My first loan from Juhudi was for 100,000 shillings ($972). I used the money to purchase 150 mature, full-grown chickens that were ready to lay eggs.

I brought the chickens home and they laid eggs almost immediately. That transformed everything. I was able to make a profit instantly.

I plan to get another loan from Juhudi, but I want to be smart. I enjoy the flexibility of being able to pay slowly. I don’t want to take too many loans at the same time, so I will wait until I pay this one off first. Then I will take a bigger loan, so I can build a good shed for the poultry and keep more chickens. These chickens are giving me a good profit, so I’m feeling encouraged. I also keep cows, so I could get more cows or buy a cow that’s fully grown and already producing milk. The income from that cow will be able to pay the loan back on its own.

I have three children and they benefit from my rearing because of the profit I get. I send them to school with the money I make. I am able now to send my second-born to secondary school, and my daughter, who is my oldest, will soon start college.

Esther, 40, grew up the daughter of farmers and is a customer of Acumen investee, Juhudi Kilimo, in rural Kenya.