Happy Microfinance Day

On July 15th, we celebrated our 620 fabulous microfinance clients at TCF’s Annual Microfinance Day! The theme of this year’s celebration was Breaking the Cycle of Poverty, designed to not only celebrate our clients’ successes over the past year, but to further educate them on how they can use their increased incomes to permanently free themselves from the struggles of sustained poverty.

A day full of local treats and favorites (in Tanzania it’s not a party unless there is soda), here are some highlights so you can see just how we mixed learning and fun on this special day.

Planning for Tomorrow

Representatives from the National Microfinance Bank discussed the importance of saving for the future and how clients can open a savings account. Our guest of Honor was the National Microfinance Bank Manager, who promised to open a branch in our community, which would provide convenient banking and savings programs to the roughly 8,000 community members who currently walk 1-2 hours into Karatu for access to financial services.

Staying Healthy

Health insurance professionals spoke to the benefits of health insurance and how our clients can best protect themselves and their families by signing up.

Advances in Agriculture

An agriculture specialist provided our clients with the latest trends and innovations in farming, including how to plant maize, beans and other local crops to maximize crop yields while conserving resources.

MVPs

Prizes were given out to the highest performing CBTs (certified business trainers) and the groups who have the best repayment records this year to encourage and reward a culture of sound credit and savings.

Top in Design

Around the Rec Hall, the finest products from the Rift Valley Women’s Group, our local handicrafts group, were on display for everyone to see during the event. It was the perfect chance for clients to show their peers (and all who joined!) just how far they have come.