Official Blog

At Christmas, it is often the small gestures, the small surprises, the small gifts that give friends, acquaintances, colleagues and relations the greatest pleasure. We at zanox also believe in the greatness in small things in 2011.

For example, this year we were able to support 20 individual microfinance projects around the world with small contributions via online microfinance platforms such as kiva.org or MyC4. Since 2008, we have supported over 45 different microfinance projects with more than 130 highly-committed entrepreneurs in developing countries all over the world. It doesn’t need much to turn the dreams of these entrepreneurs – and many more out there – into reality. All it takes is a small loan that stimulates motivation and grows over time.

In addition, we have supported two aid projects for children and their families with a donation. One of these is “Die Björn Schulz STIFTUNG” in Berlin, Germany, which provides help and support for children, youths, young adults and their families where affected by cancer and chronic illness, as well as those with serious and incurable diseases.

The other is “Save the Children”. This organisation fights for the rights of all children to health and survival, schooling and education, as well as protection against violence and exploitation, and rescues them from danger in the event of emergencies.

We hope that you like the ideas and follow suit.

zanox wishes you, your family and friends all the best in 2012!

The zanox Board
Philipp Justus (CEO)
Daniel Keller (CTO)
Christian Kleinsorge (CSO)
Joachim Piroth (CFO)

We just made several new microfinance investments, which we would like to share with you. We really hope that you like the idea and maybe even follow suit. This time, we invested in six different projects in Kenya, Peru, Rwanda, Burundi and The Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The first investments we’d like to share with you are two investments in Peru.
David (on the left side of the left photo) currently has his Internet café, and thanks to this business he can offer his family a better quality of life. He wants to buy more computers, which will make him able to earn more income. In the future, David would like to have a separate building for the business and the latest generation equipment.

Another bid we made is for Señora Patricia who belongs to the Sr. de Pampacucho Ccochirhuay group (right), Peru. She has a small grocery store in her home selling staples. She wants  to buy more merchandise to stock her store.

We also invested in Anitha from Rwanda and Tobias Luchera Mkolwe from Kenya.
Anitha owns a business selling mobile phones. This is her third successful year in this business. She wants to increase her mobile phone business. This will allow her to purchase new mobile phones. With the profits, she will be able to build a secure future for her business as well as for her family and she will be able to reinvest in her mobile phone business.

Tobias is a focused businessman aged 32.  For the last two years, he has been operating a m-pesa (mobile-phone money transfer business), photocopying and a printing business to earn a living. In the next five years, he wants to open another outlet of his business.

And finally, we made two more investments in Burundi and The Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Thérèse, member of the Niyonkuru K1 group (left) is a 46-year-old retailer who lives in Gatumba, in Bujumbura. She sells a range of food products such as oil, salt, sugar, onions, rice and beans. She has been in this business for nine years. The investment will allow her to increase her capital and buy large quantities of food products to re-sell in order to make large profits and thereby increase her savings.

Didier, aged 40, is the chairman of the Baluki Plus group (right). He runs a restaurant and a telephone booth. His businesses are located in the eastern part of Kinshasa. With this loan, he is planning to increase the inventory of his business by buying some phones and reselling them with the aim of generating additional profits.

We wish all entrepreneurs best of luck and hope that our bids help them to successfully develop their businesses!

We just made several new microfinance investments, which we would like to share with you. We really hope that you like the idea and maybe even follow suit. This time, we invested in six different projects in Kenia, Uganda, Philippines, Peru, Mongolia and Bolivia.

The first investments we’d like to share with you are two investments in Uganda. Masaka Town College is a private secondary school which was established in 2003 . The school is licensed and registered by the ministry of education and sports. Due to the ever increasing number of pupils and most of the being borders, the school has not been able to meet the borders facilitation especially in providing beds to all of them. The director wants to buy more 125 beds to boast the boarding section.

Another bid we made is for Oscar Samba who belongs to Tusitukirewamu group, Kampala. For the past four years he has been operating a phone repair business. He is going to purchase phones to resell and improve his phone repair business.

We also invested in Julieta Villanueva from the Philippines and Martiniao from Bolivia. Julieta operates an entertainment business in the Philippines. She has been in this business for 16 years. Julieta would like to purchase additional pieces of equipment for her entertainment business. She dreams of expanding her business to better provide for her family in the future.

Martiniano lives in the La Guardia neighborhood of the town of Basilio. He offers Internet services and he also repairs radios. He has been running his Internet café for one year, and his wife helps him in the shop. He wants to buy more computers to expand his activity.

And finally, we made two more investments in Peru and Mongolia. Blanca from Peru is a member of the “Shalom: Dios Con Nosotros” communal bank, made up of seven members dedicated to trading activities. Blanca has her own bookstore where she sells pencils, notebooks and other office supplies, and makes copies and prints. This business arose seven years ago because Blanca wanted to pay for her nursing studies. Thanks to her efforts and her dedication, she bought land, a photo copier and a computer. In the meantime, she succeeded in completing her nursing career and can now provide a better quality of life to her daughter.

Dorjnamjil lives with his wife and daughter in Ulaanbaatar, capital city of Mongolia. Dorjnamjil is a photographer who works at Suhbaatar square, is the central square of Ulaanbaatar city, Mongolia. He is using digital cameras to capture images electronically which allowes him to print pictures in a minute. He also offeres a very special service of taking one’s picture with Mongolian traditional clothes on. He is planning to continue and expand his business in the future.

We wish all entrepreneurs best of luck and hope that our bids help them to successfully develop their businesses!

As a successful 2010 is coming to an end, we find ourselves reflecting on the past year, which has been filled with the spirit of change and enthusiasm – a spirit which we would like to keep on sharing.

We still believe that many small microfinance investments can have a great impact to support sustainable growth. This is why we will continue to invest in businesses around the world via online microfinance platforms such as kiva.org or MyC4.

Since 2008, we supported over 25 different projects with more than 70 entrepreneurs in developing countries all over the world.

This Christmas – instead of expressing our gratitude to our partners with a bunch of huge presents – we invested in ten different projects in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Ghana, Chile, Armenia, Ecuador, Colombia and the Philippines. We would like to take the chance and introduce you to some of the entrepreneurs we supported.

23-year-old Arnold from the Philippines, mother-of-two Martha Luisa from Colombia, Ana from Guayaquil in Ecuador, and the young Armenian Davit, all share one dream for 2011: They would like to make a living from their internet cafés and thus want to expand their businesses. Davit needs the loan to set up two more cubicles, Ana and Arnold would like to buy more computers, and Martha wants to get a fridge so her customers can enjoy a cool drink while browsing the internet or chatting with their friends.

Emmanuel from Kenya is 31 years old and has been running a computer training college in Mombasa’s Mikindani district for the past six years. With the loan, he plans to buy more computers for his college, and hopes to expand his business to other districts in Mombasa. We also invested in a group of business women again: The “Somos un complemento” group from Puerto Varas, Chile, currently has 22 female members who sell clothes, fruits and vegetables, or offer beauty services to women in their home town. Since more and more tourists are visiting Puerto Varas – it’s also called “city of roses” – the group would like to expand their business.

Another Kenyan business we supported is Mary’s “Finchley Odds Gift Shop” in Nairobi. Mary has two employees who help her selling flowers, jewelry, greeting cards and home decoration. She now wants to offer a delivery service for her customers.Other projects we invested in were Muwanguzi’s clothes shop in Kampala, Uwingabiye’s office supply store in Rwanda, and Crystal’s curtain enterprise in Accra, Ghana.

It doesn’t need much to turn the dreams of these entrepreneurs – and many more out there – into reality. All it takes is a small loan that stimulates motivation and grows over time. We hope that you like the idea and follow suit.

We wish you a merry Christmas and would like to thank you for a great year 2010!

The zanox Board

Philipp Justus, Christian Kleinsorge and Daniel Keller

We just made several new microfinance investments, which we would like to share with you. We really hope that you like the idea and maybe even follow suit. This time, we invested in five different projects in Tanzania, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Kenya and Ghana.

The first investment we’d like to share with you is the business of Luis Alberto Vera Mite from Ecuador. The 27-year old has a three wheeled motorcycles, so called tricimotos, in the central market of the tourist area Playas. He has been bringing market customers to their homes by motorcycle for five years by now.  Now he would like to buy bodywork for the rear of his motorcycle to draw the attention of more customers. In the future, he’d like to have his own house and help his parents have a better life.

We also invested in Upendo Abdallah, mother of three from Tanzania, and her businesswomen group Mbogo, who are running their own charcoal business. Upendo wants to use the loan to increase her stock of charcoal so she can meet the increasing demand. Her dream is to open up her own charcoal shop one day.

Another bid we made is for Marlon, a young man who has established a small business selling technical accessories in Nicaragua. He started off just selling movies and music with savings from his job as a mason. Today he runs his own business, with the help of his wife. With the loan he will buy cellular accessories, TV remotes, calculators, movies, and music to augment his stock, improve his sales, and be more profitable.

And finally, we made two more investments in Ghana and Kenya: We supported Isaac and his business Rwanyambo Electronics to increase his stock of electronics and mobile phones, and Vivian who produces colourful African clothes. She needs to buy more fabrics and dyes, wants to engage more workers and even kick-off some advertising for her business. Vivian’s products are distributed to retail outlets in the major cities of Ghana. Customer demands for her clothes are increasing due to recent, nation-wide promotions of African wear.

We wish all entrepreneurs best of luck and hope that our bids help them to successfully develop their businesses!

For our first microfinance investments in 2010, we chose the businesses of Josie Camus from the Philippines and Mouhamad from Lebanon. We also invested in a whole group of female entrepreneurs in Bolivia. Let’s start off with introducing the group of 15 businesswomen!

All members of “15 de Diciembre Groupe” are involved in commercial activities in their hometown, for example selling food, drinks and cosmetics or running a  hairdressing and laundry service. Nancy, president of the group, requested the loan, so the members  can buy more food,  modern tools for hairdressing, and summer-season supplies to sell to their customers. All women work mainly for their children: Their biggest hope is that they will able to get a proper education and job one day.

We also made a microfinance bid for Josie: The 47-year mother of three old runs a successful motorcyle business in Ozamiz City, Philippines. To make a living, Josie owns and operates a transportation service  that uses “habal-habal” – a motorcycle with an extended seat to carry passengers. Josie has been engaged in her business for over 13 years and earns approximately 23o Euros a month from it. She needs the loan to be able to repair her motocycles and offer a better service.

Another business we invested in is the mobile phone shop of Mouhamad from Tyre, in southern Lebanon. The 20-year old newly-wed has been selling and repairing phones, as well as sells mobile accessories like covers, chargers, earphones and top-up phone cards. His clients are his friends and neighbours from his hometown. He decided to start this business because of his experience in sales, as well the fact that he took computer studies in school. With his loan he would like to purchase more mobile phones and accessories for his shop. He also plans to expanding his business by selling computers.

We wish them all best of luck and hope that our bids help them to successfully develop their business!

Christmas is all about dreams, isn’t it? This is why we want to show you how easy it is to make dreams happen today. Last year, we started investing in businesses around the world via online microfinance platforms.  In 2009, we supported 15 different projects with more than 50 entrepreneurs. You might have already read some stories here on our blog – maybe even the one about Odilla, businesswoman from Kenya or about Chum Thon from Cambodia. To show you which great impact microfinance investments can have, we created a nice, little video that tells their stories and explains what the idea is all about:

We believe in microfinance, because people like you and me can make investments that stimulate motivation and grow over time. Help us to turn the dreams of thousands of entrepreneurs into reality. All it takes is a small loan, which helps people to help themselves. We hope that you like the idea and follow suit.

Have a merry Christmas everybody and thanks a lot for a great year 2009!

Thomas Hessler, Heiko Rauch and Jens Hewald

This month we have made several microfinance bids in Africa, which we would like to keep you updated on – and as usual hope that this will inspire you to follow suit.

We supported three projects in Kenya: Businesswoman Odilla founded her company Steod Beauty Products in 2005 and it has been growing ever since. She specializes in selling garments, shoes, handbags, hair products, cosmetics, perfumes, jewelery and other beauty products. She also runs a general shop where she sells sweets, cakes and rice.

The second Kenyan business we invested in is John Gitobu’s construction company Jozipy Hardware. John is selling construction materials and since he has some big projects coming up, he needs to buy a larger vehicle in order to transport his goods. The third Kenyan entrepreneur is Susan Kanyeki, who started her business called Friendly Farms in 1993.  She now possesses her own cooling plant which currently process up to 10,000 litres of milk per day. The business is looking to diversify into the more lucrative cheese and yoghurt markets. Susan has therefore begun constructing her own production factory.

We also made two investments in Tanzania: Sebastian Abdala Msola owns the logistics company Samtco Transport, which provides national and international transportation solutions to major African shipping companies. Since the demand for transporting big containers and logs increases, Sebastian would like to buy a new truck. The second entrepreneur from Tanzania is Imaculata Damas Paul. She owns a clothes and cosmetics shop and employs one more female sales person. She now wants to offer more goods to meet her customers’ demands.

We wish all of them best of luck with their business and are looking forward to more interesting projects we can support.

We just again invested in innovative ideas and entrepreneurship by using microfinance platforms to support business development around the world. This time we made bids in Haiti, Peru and Cambodia and are pleased to be able to help two different business people as well as a group of entrepreneurs.

The Haiti-based group is called “Mi Corason De Grand Bassin” and consists of fifteen male and female entrepreneurs. They have a wide range of businesses ranging from phone cards and repairs, to used clothing to peanut sales. 23-year old Lazar Rolinx, one of three representatives of the group, sells phone cards for all of the major phone companies in the country. He has also created a relationship with another business that repairs phones. By developing his business, he hopes to be better able to support his family.

The second project we are investing in is the business of 28-year old Cesarían in Peru. The mother of four children plants bananas, corn, yucca, and ginger in their own fields. She is also in touch with buyers in Lima, so she can increase her income to be able to pay for her children’s education.  With her current loan  she wants to buy fertilizers and to clear the fields for the next ginger planting.

Our third bid goes to Chum Thon in Cambodia. The 28 years old father of four young children has been performing as a musician since 2007. With the 5 dollars he earns from that every day, and his wife making additionally 5 dollars per day from selling cakes, they make their living. Chum Thom wants to use his loan to purchase musical instruments.

We wish him and all the other entrepreneurs best of luck and hope that our bids help them to successfully develop their business!

Time for us to again invest in innovative ideas and entrepreneurship around the world! We just made three additional microfinance bids in Ghana, Bolivia and Mongolia and, with that, are happy to support two business people as well as a group of entrepreneurs.

With the bid for Tuvshinbayar Myanganbuu, we are supporting the clothing business of a 23-year old woman in Arhangai Province, one of Mongolia’s central provinces. With her business profit, she looks after her parents, who have been in the retail clothing business since 1995. She has always been helping in her parents’ business and now, with her own business as the the sole family income, she works hard to make her living and look after her parents. We hope that she will now be able to purchase more clothing and small items for her business.

We also decided to support the entrepreneurs group Las Progresivas in Bolivia: The group has women and men who dedicate themselves to selling cosmetics, food, bakery goods, jewelry, CDs, DVDs, and footwear. We especially appreciate the efforts of the female president and co-founder of Las Progresivas, Ana Ynga Rojas Justiniano.  Her income helps to sustain her family. She dedicates herself to clothing sales and, with this new loan, she will also start selling shoes.

And last but not least: We made our third bid to Tidjani Shaibu Adamu in Ghana, who sells electrical appliances at Kotokoraba in Cape Coast. Tidjani is married and has been selling electrical appliances since 1993 in order to pay the school fees for his children. With the loan he wants to buy more electrical appliances and hopes to reinvest his new profits in his business.

We wish all of them, Tuvshinbayar, Tidjani and Las Progresivas, best of luck for their businesses and are sure they will succeed.  And of course we again hope that you now feel a little inspired by our new investments and follow us on the way to help investing in sustainable projects around the world.