By Felicia Smith | Managing Director
Dear Team,
Our first ever GlobalGiving project to Empower Rural Tanzanian Women with Microloans has filled us with hope. We are thrilled to report that you all so generously helped us to reach our first funding goal for thisproject in just a few weeks! We can’t begin to express how humbled we are by this outpouring of support from our community for the Maasai women who so desperately rely on these microloans. These funds will immediately go to Resilient Communities Africa Foundation (ReCAF) in Tanzania, who manages the loan program.
The funding recieved so far means that we can expand our loan program by 100 women in Alchenmiomelock village through the creation of 4 new Village Community Banks (VICOBA). We will keep the funding efforts going to try and raise enough to sponsor 200 new loan recipients, as we are already part of the way there. Resilient Communities Africa Foundation (ReCAF), our Tanzanian-based nonprofit partner that manages these village loans, will train these women to help better manage their loans and businesses, giving ongoing support to the groups for as long as they need it, and ensure that each VICOBA group will have a woman leader who is numerate and literate. Maria Mirumu, co-founder of ReCAF, said this when asked about her motivation to start managing the Alcheniomelock loan program: “At first, I was motivated by the need to empower women financially. I saw how lack of access to credit kept many women dependent and struggling. Over time, my motivation deepened—I realized that financial empowerment also improves women’s confidence, decision-making power, and overall well-being. Now, I continue because I see real change happening. Women are starting businesses, sending their children to school, and gaining respect in their households. That keeps me going.” May we be just as inspired by this important program as Maria is.
We have our next trip to Tanzania planned for February 2026, and we cannot wait to share our excitement with the new microloan recipients there! We look forward to bringing back pictures of the impact this program has made on the lives of these rural women to share with you all. Of course, there is still work to be done. Our next project, focused on mother and child health, will be posted in time for Giving Tuesday, an international day of fundraising celebrated with a proportional matching grant by GlobalGiving. Please check it out to continue following our progress, and watching the impact that we have on the lives of these lovely indigenous people when we all work together. We are so grateful!
With hearts full of gratitude,
Judy Lane & Felicia Smith of Maasai Partners
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