With the dramatic downturn in business caused by the pandemic, the community was struggling to find food for the orphans. WMI has made an emergency donation to fund food sacks for the orphans, which should help feed them for the next few weeks.   Hopefully, as the Uganda economy opens up, local businesses will pick up again and the community will be able to provide ongoing support for the orphans.

Olive Wolimbwa, always busy!

WMI's Local Director, Olive Wolimbwa contacted us with a plan and the request for the orphan food sack distribution program.  She was aware that we do not have a budget to take this on as a permanent program and she outlined how this would be a one-time supplement to ease a serious food insecurity crisis.  

The plight of the orphans impacts the entire community.  Many of the women in the loan program have been sharing their good fortune to have a business by helping support the orphans.  We think this is the best protocol for solving local problems - giving people the resources to create solutions.  In this unusual situation, WMI was situated to provide a bridge to help sustain the children while businesses get up and running again.  We are grateful for Olive's inspired leadership, close ties to the community, and insight on local issues, all of which contribute greatly to the loan program's success.   

This past month WMI approved an expansion of the loan program in rural Tanzania in conjunction with our British partner, Weston Turville Wells for Tanzania (WTWT), and our local partner, Korongoro Community Trust. (KCT). We have been working with them for the past five years to support the communities in Nainokanoka Ward of the  Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) to help solve the issues of poverty, child mortality, genital cutting and women's rights, through education and microfinance. The expansion will be timed to the easing of Covid-19 concerns. In the meantime we are educating the women in local loan hubs on social distancing and other safety measures.

There have been many requests for loans from women in the 4 villages of Mto wa Mbu Ward and in

	Maasai businesswoman

the 5 villages of Esilalei Ward. They are both Maasai communities outside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), in the Arusha Region.   WTWT has been working in the area for nearly 15 years and has found just as much poverty among Maasai communities outside the NCA as within. The land is often too dry for their cattle to graze and they have to be taken far away. The challenges they have in common are lack of education among the adults, such extreme poverty that it is difficult to send their children to school, poor nutrition, poor health and lack of economic opportunities.

We plan to set up nine more loan programs, one in each village of the 2 wards Mto wa Mbu and Esilalei. Each group will have 30 women, and each woman will start with a $70 loan. We will also be supporting numeracy and literacy classes for adults and health education for women.  Though women still have traditional lifestyles, cultural changes are clearly underway, with more women wanting access to educational opportunities and business training.

Maasai businesswoman caring for her children

Working in the area for the past five years, WMI has seen how the women are vested in the small businesses that they run. They are so proud to be able to care for their families.

WTWT has found that the women are empowered by owning a business - it has reduced the anxiety of poverty: the uncertainty of whether they will be able to find enough food for their children or be able to send them to school or pay for health care. Savings from business earnings covers the cost of care when unexpected illness arises. The word has spread fast - there are always more women wanting loans, leading to this expansion of the program.

The women in the loan groups will range in age from 25 - 55, with most being 30 - 35.  Typical business will include: small scale farming; retail shops selling maize flour, rice, cooking oil, vegetables, tea, sugar, milk, meat, leather, and second hand clothes; bead work; raising and selling sheep and goats; and selling fuel for passing ranger and tourist vehicles.

Our track record lending to this community has been excellent. The loan groups will be responsible for issuing the individual loans of $70 to the women and for collecting loan repayments with interest, which happen at the weekly meetings. It is the responsibility of each loan group to follow up with defaulters and ensure repayment. This has worked well to date. Three women administrators for each loan group have a key to three separate padlocks on each village bank metal box, so all need to be present when money is deposited and removed. The returned loan money is re-loaned, so there is never very much money left in the box. Records are kept of all loans and repayments in individual books for each woman and central record books for the group. 

We will have a new loan coordinator for all of these villages:  Sinyati Ngamuriaki. She is educated to the diploma level in Development Planning and well qualified for the role. She provided us with this biography:

"My name is Sinyati Loramatu Ngamuriaki born 12/12/1998 at Engaruka village. My Father name is Loramatu Ngamuriaki, my mother name Paulina Yangan and also my parents are maasai. My parents have 9 children and I am the last born in my family, my father died in 2009. My parents engaged in activities which is pastoralism and agriculture but not more, our economic was very poor and the environment which they live was rural area the place which is called Uwanja wa Ndege at Arushani village. I start primary school in 2006 up 2012 at Engaruka Juu primary school, after that I joined the education of secondary school at Irkisale secondary school in 2013 up to 2016. In 2017 am joining at University of Institute of Rural Development Planning in Mwanza campus in certificate course. In 2019 I am joining in Diploma course of Development planning in Mwanza campus up 2020. I am excited for my new role loan coordinator in Mto wa Mbu and Esilalei will help poor rural women and families."