A Business Power Couple

By Betsy Ramser Jaime

As a child, Abigael Nyapela attended Ebusybui Primary School and as she got older, moved up to Ebusyubi Secondary School. Upon graduation, she helped her mom sell vegetables until she was able to save up the money for her own shop.

She shares that in her area most people are poor peasant farmers and that they struggle to make ends meet. However, she continues, “and through all these problems, they still make it in life.” In her business, Abigael sells both food and household items.

In addition to her responsibilities as a business owner she also is a wife and mother to a little girl who dreams of being a doctor someday. She notes that she and her husband try as hard as they can to make their daughter’s future dream come true. Her daughter is currently in nursery school. And while she has free time, Abigael enjoys reading novels and educational materials.

Her husband is also a business owner and has a local computer shop where he offers computer and photocopy services, video shooting and editing services, and computer repair services.

They’ve even started an additional business together where they have a tree seedling nursery where they sell trees to people and institutions. This has also been a great venture that has helped them to add additional capital to each of their respective businesses.

So far, Abigael has successfully raised 7 Zidisha funded loans and has also maintained a 99% repayment rate. With her first two Zidisha loans of 2015 for $100 and $197, she was able to purchase bulk quantities of food items for her shop including: ‘Tropicana, Jambo, sugar, rice, and flour.’

A few months later, in October 2015, she shared with lenders, ‘You have been so wonderful to me and since I joined Zidisha I have been working towards my set target goals which I never set before I joined here. This has made me to work so hard and keep my promises to myself and trustful with your funds always. Today I am making my 3rd loan request and I promise to repay back in time. When I receive the loan funds I will use the money to buy these items for my retail shop.’ With this loan, she was once again able to increase her stock of sugar, rice, cooking oil, flour, exercise books, vaseline, and bread.

By 2016, Abigael was once again ready for her next loan to increase her shop stock. This time, she successfully raised $613 and purchased some new items such as, ‘bar soap, teal leaves, salt, spices, soda, and cooking oil. Then, in April 2017, she was able to raise her largest loan yet of $916. This loan allowed her to substantially increase her inventory of item such as, ‘Jambo, sugar, salad, rice, bar soap, Toss, Afia, Nuvita, Tropicana, and tea leaves.’

As she prepared for her loan in February 2018 she shared, ‘To all my lenders and Zidisha team, I want to thank you so much for funding our loan proposals hence uplifting our living standards. Through this loan we have been able to learn so much including, how to be truthful, obedient, and responsible person in re-paying back the loans that we have been granted. Thanks so much and be blessed.’

As Abigael has been able to grow and expand her business, she has also diversified her offerings and has been able to stock new and different items. However, what has remained consistent is her passion for helping her community members with the everyday items that they need in their homes.

To update her lenders, Abigael shared, ‘Thank you so much and may God bless you all my lenders for trusting in me and my business by funding me. Your loan funds have brought a great impact in my life as a whole. You have changed everything around me. My business is booming because of your assistance. You have taught me to be a very hardworking person in my life. My retail shop is one of the few that all my customers depends on because of availability of goods which has increased my profits and customers at large. Be blessed so much.’

Would you like to help empower another entrepreneur like Abigael? If so, make sure to check out our Lend page to read about our other amazing Zidisha business owners.