Tanzania
The largest country in Eastern Africa, Tanzania hosts abundant natural resources, vast wildlife reserves, and over 120 localtribes. At the same time, Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world, with a population of 57 million people and an average per capita income of only $,1090 per year (1). Nearly 70 percent of the population lives below the poverty line and 16 percent of children under 5 are malnourished (2).
Most residents rely on farming or small businesses to provide an income for themselves and their families. Nearly half of the population lacks access to financial services.
The Program
Five Talents has been operating microfinance programmes in Tanzania since 2007. Through our partnership with the Anglican Church of Tanzania we provide financial infrastructure to areas which commercial banks cannot reach, allowing our members to pool their savings into community funds which can then be loaned out to help establish or grow small businesses.
Five Talents began it’s work in Tanzania alongside The Mama Bahati Foundation (MBF), which was registered as an NGO in February 2006, and provides financial services to women in and around Iringa. The project was the 'brain-child' of the retired Archbishop of Tanzania and was named after Mama Bahati, a woman who runs a small banana selling business. It took a loan of just $8 to break the unproductive credit cycle she was in with her former market seller and allow her to buy enough stock to make a profit large enough to repay the loan and grow over time.
Five Talents launched a new savings groups programme in Morogoro in 2017 with an aim to help 2,500 families learn how to save the little money they have, invest in small businesses and generate profits so that they can support their children, improve their homes and afford essentials such as nutritious food and healthcare. From our baseline surveys, we know that 19% of households we’re working within Morogoro have 4 or more children aged under 17 to support, around a third live in earth-floored, grass-roofed homes, and 81% live on less than $2.50 / day (PPP).
The Need
Join Five Talents in empowering families in communities in Tanzania. Your support can a make a world of difference.
Please help us expand our work in Tanzania either by making a one-time donation or by signing up to "Walk with Us" as a recurring donor. A monthly gift of $10 will transform up to five lives.
Sources:
(1) World Development Indicators, World Bank, 2019.
(2) Global Human Development Report, UNDP, 2013.