Tanzania Partnership

Supporting a microfinance cooperative in Tungamalenga is one of several ways our partnership has worked together for economic development.  Rural Tanzanians have typically had little to no experience with banks or loans until the recent development of locally owned Savings and Credit CoOperatives (SACCOs). Most Tanzanians in the rural areas like Tungamalenga and Makifu are subsistence farmers.  They grow enough each year to feed their families, sometimes earning enough to pay a child's school fees.  There is usually not much left over to set aside for long term savings. Ottavina leads a microfinance training session Here's where Iringa Hope is helping to bring about change.  Iringa Hope is a nonprofit organization based in Minnesota and working to provide small loans in rural Tanzania.  (Iringa Hope has some close ties to Shepherd of the Valley -- SOTV members Ben Kilgore and Tim Campbell are board members.)  Iringa Hope operates in Tanzania...

Someone at church this morning asked me what's new in Tungamalenga, and I proceeded to bend her ear for about ten minutes with a long list of updates that have come via various sources in recent weeks. Here's a few highlights. Microfinance co-op leaders from Tungamalenga attended a training session in Iringa this week.  Iringa Hope (the diocese wide umbrella organization) and Tumaini University's Microfinance Institute staff hosted the sessions for 75 leaders, addressing issues of governance, organization, record keeping, assessing loan applications, and more.  Three members of the Tungamalenga SACCOs (Savings and Credit Co Operative) attended.  From the photo I saw, it looks like Nicholas Mvena, Absalum Kilipamwambu, and perhaps Lukimbililo Mkuye. More information here: http://iringahope2013.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-saccos-training-session-concludes.html . Iringa Hope members from Minnesota Tom and Sandy Hendrickson have been in Iringa for the past couple months, vi...