Walking a path out of poverty
In 2015, Diana Rose, whose teenage son Gregory is sponsored through Unbound, received a loan of 10,000 Kenyan shillings (about $100) through an Unbound mothers group to start farming. From that seed money, she has grown a farming operation large enough to employ eight others in her community.
The youngest of seven children, she learned to love the land as a child. Her parents were tea farmers who also raised cattle.
“Next to our home there was a farmer, and he was farming tomatoes and potatoes and he was [doing] very well. I admired his life; that’s why I came up with this idea of farming, so that my family will stay stable,” Diana Rose said.
The garden started small, meeting the day-to-day needs of Diana Rose, her husband and their five children. When Diana Rose wanted to expand, she was unable to find a bank that would grant her a loan. But through Unbound, she found the opportunity to grow her business.
“Unbound, they take me as I was and they loaned me, and I continued doing my job. That’s why I am here,” she said.
By receiving and repaying several loans over the years, Diana Rose has been able to rent more land to grow tomatoes, onions, green peppers and kale. Her goal is to earn and save enough so that one day she can own her own land. Every loan, business decision and harvest brings her one step closer to achieving her goals.
“I will not stop this,” she said. “I’ll keep going on and going on.”
