“I Can Earn Good Money if I Put in Hard Work”

By Betsy Ramser Jaime

‘My name is Winnie Magut, I come from Kenya and am currently living in Naivasha town, Ukundo estate. I am married and blessed with four children.’

After Winnie finished university, she was unable to secure a job. This was extremely stressful for her, as she hated the feeling of sitting at home without being able to work and feel useful.

She continues, ‘My husband decided to support me with the start-up of a dairy farm, I later realized that milk is in high demand and I ventured into the business knowing I can earn good money if I put in hard work.

Since her husband already had a good understanding of the dairy business, he was able to guide her and they sought help from an animal specialist. Winnie was really able to obtain a wide range of skills and knowledge within a short period of time.

In describing her business, Winnie shares, ‘I deal with dairy farming. Basically the production of fresh and sour milk. My three high-breed cows produce 60 liters of milk in a day. I sell 50 liters of fresh milk and sell 10 liters of sour milk.’

In the future, Winnie hopes that she will be able to watch her children succeed and pursue careers that will suit them well.

Winnie became a member of the Zidisha community in January 2023 and has already been able to raise a number of loans from Zidisha lenders. With her first few loans, she was able to plant more grass to help sustain her cows and increase milk production.

Since then, Winnie has been able to add a number of other changes and improvements to her farm. For example, she has continued to purchase cow feeds and repaired her cow shed. She also repaired her motorcycle so that her son would be able to assist her with milk deliveries.

In February, Winnie continued to plant some animal feeds and also started planting vegetables for her family as well.

A month later, in March 2023, she raised her largest loan yet, $1,138, and shared, ‘Thanks a lot, I intend to buy a heifer to increase the number of cows which will increase milk production. This year I have planted enough grass and with the addition of another heifer, I will be able to produce more milk.’

Would you like to make a difference in the life of a business owner like Winnie? Make sure to head on over to our Browse Projects page to see what other Zidisha entrepreneurs are doing to change their lives and communities.