Thursday, November 18, 2021

Update on Janet's Business

Hi friends and fellow bloggers,

I said in an earlier post that I would be updating the work we are doing with Janet in Kenya to give a progress update on the business she is trying to establish.

Here is a photo of the shop we rented. There is a shop/store on one side and her home on the other side. 

Janet at her new shop.

So far we have paid 2 months rent, a bit of food, a new, inexpensive telephone with camera and stock for the store. By far the most expensive thing is stock.

For now Janet is selling maize (corn) that she grew on the family farm before her brother chased her away. She was able to gain access to the maize. Other than that she has stocked the shop with all kinds of hair pieces and yarn for hair weaving. My apologies for the quality of the photos but Janet and her daughters never had a phone of their own so they are new to taking smart phone photos.  The phone is also quite inexpensive so the camera quality is not that high.

 

It took awhile to get everything set up because the space had to be readied for display, someone in a larger city had to purchase the stock and send it to her because it cost too much for her to travel there and back.  It takes all day to travel to the supplier and back and one has to pay for transport for 2 people to be able to carry the stock and food and sundries.  It also took awhile to buy the phone, have it shipped to her and time for her to pick up the phone, charge it up and figure out how it functions.

 

This is the supplier in Nakuru, Kenya
.

The store needs more stock.  The potential customers are asking for hair products she doesn't have yet. Some of these items are pictured below.  The products like oils and conditioners are more expensive, particularly if she is going to have enough stock on hand for sale. If the funds allow she could also diversify and sell some daily essentials which people need in the village.  Things that won't go bad due to lack of refrigeration.


I will send another month or two of rent by the end of this month.  At end of January I will send another two months rent.  This is so Janet can have some breathing space while she tries to get her business off the ground and save enough to pay rent, food and stock.

If you are touched to help Janet for Christmas, we would appreciate any contributions toward buying more stock so she can accelerate sales. If you have any questions, please let me know. I hope to have related updates in the near future about both Janet and several other Kenyans we are helping.  But this update is priority.  

The Pay Pal link button is located on the right side bar. Simply click on the photo of the flowers or you can scan the QR code if you have the app. I can't actually advise on using the QR code so let me know if you need something specific. My email can be found at my profile page.If you really want to help but you feel your donation is too small please know that even $20 US dollars goes a very long way toward paying a month's rent (half), buying basic food for Janet and her 4 daughters for 2 weeks or helps to fill the store shelves.

Thank you so much for your visit and your consideration.


Friday, November 12, 2021

Reading Challenge 2021 - Progress to Date

 

These are the books I've read in 2021. I met my reading challenge long ago and didn't set a new one. I'm reading now for pure pleasure rather than meeting a goal. I have no new number of books to read in 2021 or pages to complete. This year seems to have been the year for reading biographies and autobiographies. I read 8 of them and that is far more than usual. It was also a year for reading resource books on sewing projects and books written by Indigenous authors.  They were all very good too. The two books that show only a generic Goodreads cover are: Joseph William McKay - A Metis Business Leader in Colonial British Columbia & Merchant and Mills Sewing Book by Carolyn N.K. Denham.

There are approximately 6 weeks left in the year.  I'll be interested in seeing how far I get for the rest of the year because soon I'll be too busy with cleaning and Christmas preparations and there will be less time for reading.

Did I have a favourite book this year?  Not really.  though I have to say Gail Tsukiyama's books are always a delight and I really enjoyed reading Youngblood of the Peace.  Youngblood is about the life of a priest who used to preside in the far north of British Columbia where many of my relatives live. Everyone knew him and I heard about him a lot as a child so it was very interesting to finally read his life's story.  I'm so glad a northerner took time to make sure his story is documented.  It made me appreciate how much the early missionaries went through to "Christianize" people.  I also enjoyed Edward Rutherfurds' book, China. I've enjoyed all the books I've read by this author so far. Last, but not least, The Dictionary of Lost Words was a very interesting book and kept me entertained.

I hope you are enjoying your reading. I'd love to hear what book you enjoyed most this year, or any other year. Maybe I can still find it before this year is over.

Happy reading.

p.s. If you are interested in the Kenyan missions, please see my update from the last blog post.

End of 2025 and a Few Last Minute Images

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