Over 250 women of Kabusuli Village, Sengerema District in Mwanza have benefited from economic empowerment projects that have seen them transform their livelihoods.
The women have through the help of Emerge Poverty Free (EPF), an organization that operates in East Africa, formed a group known as ‘Kazi na Malengo’ that has assisted them in many different ways.
EPF CEO, Jeremy Horner, who was in Mwanza to visit the projects said they were impressed by the strides the women had made within a short time. He said they used the Mwanza-based Sustainable Investments and Development Initiatives (SIDI), to help the women start a fishing and environmental conservation project in the area and that so far the women have five fish ponds and planted over 6,000 trees in the area already.
“These women have worked so hard and we are glad to note that they have already harvested fish from the ponds and sold some while the rest was used for food,” he said and applauded the women stressing that they have been good ambassadors of change.
He said EPF received maximum support from Tanzania Cigarette Company (TCC), to run the project and they hope that TCC will continue supporting them so they can reach many other women in the villages.
SIDI CEO, Martin Malongo also lauded the women saying they formed the group in February this year with only 15 women and to date there are more than 250 active members who are involved in various economic and environmental conservation activities.
“These women have become great role models in the community as they have defied all odds and decided to work for the betterment of their families and the entire community and we hope to fully hand over the fishing project to the women to let them carry on with it as they now have a lot of experience,” he said adding that this would not have been possible without TCC’s funding through EPF.
The group’s secretary, Aneta Dodo said the women achieved a lot in the last 10 months since they started the group as they have managed to save enough money to take children to school, planted over 6000 trees for environmental conservation, collected enough money to help them secure soft loans with minimal interests rates from their savings hence members are able to engage in various economic activities such as businesses.
“We have gained a lot of expertise in finance issues, fishing, environmental conservation and we are able to do most things by ourselves without having to depend on men,” she said and called on EPF to help them improve further by among other things helping them fence their fish ponds, facilitating study tours for them to learn more and also beefing up their savings and credit kitty so that more members can benefit from this,” she said.
One of the members, Asha Malando said she has through the empowerment expanded her shop business at Kabusuli and said the group has greatly assisted her as she was able to secure soft loan that has helped in running her business.
“I also now have bank account where I can save money… EPF and SIDI have really come in handy we even wish they would have come earlier,” she said.
2015 AllAfrica