By Betsy Ramser Jaime
Having grown up in central Kenya, Jane Mburu is the fifth in her family, with seven siblings. For her studies, she attended Mutuma Primary school, and then went on to Mutuma Secondary school. Afterward, she earned a certificate in a secretarial course through St. John’s Community Center.
She was able to work a variety of part-time jobs to save up enough money to eventually start her own business in Nairobi. When she first opened her cyber cafe, she began with $70 and two machines and one printer which she was able to purchase secondhand.
Jane opened the business knowing that there were not many businesses like this in the area and seeing high demand among young people.
On top of being a business owner, Jane is also busy raising four children. Her firstborn hopes to be an engineer, and the other three want to go into business.
After church, Jane enjoys visiting the sick and needy people within her community.
With 8 Zidisha-funded loans so far, Jane is a seasoned member of the Zidisha community, joining in 2017.
When she first joined Zidisha, her initial loan allowed her to pay tuition fees for two of her sons. Since they attend a private school they not only need to pay school fees but also need to provide school uniforms and other writing materials like exercise books, pens, pencils, erasers, etc.
With her following two loans in September and November 2017, Jane was able to upgrade her computers and also purchase a mouse, 2 power cables, and 2 keyboards.
In 2018, as Jane requested a $184 loan from Zidisha lenders, she shared, ‘I am very grateful for the continued support you have been affording me. Indeed my life has improved a lot since I joint Zidisha. May God bless you all abundantly. If given this loan I’ll renew my work permit which is done annually.’
Since then, Jane has raised 4 additional loans for $300, $454, $611, and $541. These have allowed her to purchase computer accessories, buy a plot, renew her business permit and pay school fees for her nephew.
Would you like to make a difference in the life of a Zidisha business owner like Jane? Make sure to head on over to our Browse Projects page to see how other members of the Zidisha community are impacting their communities around the world.
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.
