Reasons to Believe

Dear friends, 
 
We are incredibly thankful to report that our community is healthy, with no reported cases of COVID-19 in our catchment area. As we continue to face unprecedented challenges, we realize that now more than ever good news is worth sharing. We hope this story refuels your optimism and further proves that when we work together, even the toughest challenges can be overcome.

Paulina Joseph, thirty years old with two young boys, is a seasonal coffee-picker in the Oldeani community who earns just $1.50 a day. Despite hardly earning enough to support her family, little by little Paulina has invested everything she can into a shop where she sells sugar, rice and other grocery products. It is a business that has the potential to change what life looks like for her growing family.  

With her income entirely dependent on the seasonal harvest, Paulina needed access to more consistent funds to expand her business. “I want to invest more to purchase chickens,” she says. Eager to give Paulina the opportunity to earn a more stable income, we welcomed her as one of our forty new clients who joined the Tanzanian Children’s Fund’s Microfinance Program in February. 

TCF’s Microfinance Program provides loans to men and women in surrounding villages to help them start small businesses and bring in supplemental income. As of 2020, the Microfinance Program has over 690 active clients, 65% of whom are women. Our Microfinance Director, Grace Christopher, explains this gender focus by noting, “women are the ones who use the money to help their family, care for the kids." 

Paulina’s boys, nine and six, are currently attending primary school. Already saving to cover the expenses of their continued education, Paulina is grateful for the opportunity to support their dreams, explaining that "it will be more money to invest in my kids. I want more for my kids.”  

Our Microfinance clients are grateful to have an additional source of income, and they plan to continue operating their small businesses during this difficult time.  As our community braves this uncertain storm, Paulina and our 40 new Microfinance clients remind us that there are so many reasons to continue to believe in a brighter future.