[This is part of a series of posts that will extend through the entire year of 2009 twice monthly according to my original post "My pledge to Kiva for 2009". To view all of my Kiva projects, take a moment to check out my Kiva lending page.]
In this week’s Kiva Pledge Update I am supporting the Bien Fait Plus Group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a large group desiring to sell cassava in Kinshasa. This is my first Kiva loan to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
According to their Kiva business page:
Katshaya Lusakueno sells auto parts to the southwest of Kinshasa. Along with this activity, he also has a field which produces cassava that he sells in Kinshasa. He began these businesses in 2002 and 2005 respectively with an initial capital of $50. From 2002-2008 his stock levels increased, as did the value of the merchandise, demonstrating the business’s profitability. In July 2008 Katshaya decided to join one of the groups of Hope RDC called “Bien Fait,” with the aim of achieving his dream of one day opening an auto parts store in Kinshasa and becoming a supplier. He received three loans from Hope which he repaid as required. The next loan will enable him to buy hybrid cassava seeds to produce large quantities of cassava, which is requested by many people in his neighborhood. Katshaya is 46 years old, married and the father of five children aged between four and 25, the eldest of whom is independent. The four others live with Katshaya and two are at primary school.
Stay tuned for the next Kiva Pledge Update on July 19th.
