Micro-loans and Business Planning

The last few days were spent driving around the beautiful rural Mtwara countryside, assessing micro-loan applicants and hosting a Business planning workshop for the 86-member conglomerate of farmers in Mchepa.

Ryann and Kerri met with 2 individuals and 2 groups who had applid for micro-financing through the Artumas Africa Foundation.

The first was a women's group of 10 in Mitambo, who had built and were running a small poultry business. They had requested a micro-loan in order to fortify the walls and floors of the chicken coop to protect the birds from disease and roaming leopards and lions. True story! We interviewed the women, asking about their current assets, projected increase in production, plans to sell the meat and eggs, and repayment plans.

The second entrepreneur we visited was a fish farmer who had applied for a loan to build a second fish pond in order to double his productivity and ability to harvest.

Third on our list of applicants were the Mtwara Wood Carvers. The chairman, (in orange) had prepared a very comprehensive business plan, outlining the group's proposed projections. They were in need of several new power tools and wood in order to produce beds and cabinetry.

Lastly, our final applicant for the day was a local flour-producer who was interested in purchasing a large number of bags of maize in order to sell to shop-owners in the area.

AAF has helped set up a 25-acre farm in Mchepa, providing employment to 86 farmers, currently. The goal of this project is to teach the group to become a sustainable and viable business, harvesting enough vegetables to support the purchase of seeds and farming equipment, feed their families, and save.
Kerri and Ryann led a workshop for 46 of the group's members, whereby they drew on their respective business backgrounds, to help build a basic plan for improved efficiency and earnings.