Tanzania
The Mama Bahati Foundation, our partner organisation in Iringa, Tanzania was launched in 2007. It has made a very positive start, achieving rapid growth and the feedback from our clients has been very positive. Here you can read the stories of some of those we have been able to help.
Salome Kisege
Salome has had three loans from the Mama Bahati Foundation. She runs a shop and she has used the loans to increase her stock - growing from just beans and onions to a wider range of vegetables, and to start a tailoring service on the side. Her profits have greatly increased and she said that this year is the first she has not had to worry about cash flow problems for her farming activities. In addition, she has started work on building her own house.
Zawadi
Zawadi is 32 years old and a mother of 3 children. She runs a fruit stall that she was able to start with the help of her husband. She has to work hard to support her husband who was sick recently and the rest of their family. Having joined MBF in August 2007 she has seen the small investment from her loan make a big difference to her stall and this has helped to provide financial security for her and her family.
Magreth N
Magreth keeps two dairy cows. She is a grandmother with six grown children. She lives at home with her husband and one grand-daughter. Her third loan was for £125 with which she bought a dairy cow for milking. "I can manage to solve any problem now, even the vet expenses for my cows! I am thinking of getting some chickens next after the harvest when the price of feed drops."
Agnes
Agnes makes fresh cakes which she sells on foot around the town. Her parents died when she was young. She completed primary education and was send from the village by her grandparents to be a house-servant for a lady called Catherine and her husband in the town. Over 5 years Catherine had taught Agnes how to bake and now she works for herself and pays her own rent and cares for her grandparents who lives 23 km away.