By Betsy Ramser Jaime
‘My name is Sarah Djaba. I’m 44 years old and a trader.’ As a Ghanian living in Tema, of the Greater Accra Region, she sells assorted goods such as, ‘food, drinks, and toiletries.’
As a new member of the Zidisha community, Sarah saw Zidisha as a positive way for her to keep up the demand for products in her business. Especially since she did not have the capital on hand to buy large quantities of inventory at one time.
Sarah shares more about her business as she writes, ‘I operate a retail grocery store with assorted goods like beverages, canned foods, dairy foods, drinks, toiletries, bread, and many others. It has been in existence for some years now and it is helping the community in which I live. It is a small-scale retail store licensed, accredited, and also has met all necessary tax requirements to operate.’
Sarah is a recent addition to the Zidisha community, having joined in early 2021 of this year. So far, with 5 Zidisha funded loans, she has raised amounts of $12, $31, $111, $388, and $525.
With her loans from Zidisha, Sarah has been able to purchase new items that she hadn’t been able to buy before. In March, with her $31 loan this included purchasing water and other drinks.
Even during the pandemic, Sarah has been optimistic and able to keep her business afloat as she writes, ‘My business is doing quite well even though a lot of businesses are facing risks in the current economic climate or impact. I have been able to repay the previous loans I have received despite the challenges. So from the profit, I make and savings I do, I will be able to pay back my loan like I used to.’
With her following loans, Sarah continued to successfully raise larger loan amounts, while still maintaining a high repayment rate as well. In March and April she raised two more loans which allowed her to buy, ‘bread, drinks, toiletries, mineral water, candy, and canned foods.’
Most recently, in May 2021, Sarah raised her largest loan yet, for $525, sharing, ‘My next loan I will receive will help me expand my business more, having a wider stock line to meet the pressing demand of my community. I can buy more canned foods, assorted drinks, beverages, and buy mineral water in a large quantity. I have created a lot of demand for these food items, and I will be very happy if I am able to meet the demand.’
Would you like to make a difference in the life of an inspiring entrepreneur like Sarah? Make sure to head on over to our Browse Projects page to see how other Zidisha business owners are changing their own lives and their communities.
Betsy is a Writer and Editor living in Florida with her husband. She has been writing with Zidisha for 5 years and loves sharing the inspiring stories of Zidisha entrepreneurs. You can connect with her on her personal website.
