By Felicia Smith | Managing Director
Dear Team,
We've just returned from our annual trip to Tanzania at the beginning of March. We brought the news to the women in the Alcheniomelock loan program that we had raised extra money for them, and that they could expand the loan program to include more women this year. They were so excited! They sang, danced, and even made us a cake, which was a first! Even the children from the local school had a song prepared for our visit. You can watch videos of this on our YouTube channel (link below). Like the women, we are also filled with hope and gratitude to have been successful in raising funds for them on this new-to-us platform, GlobalGiving. We have raised enough money so far to expand the loan program by 100 women, and are still hoping to reach our goal of raising enough funds to expand by 200 women.
In addition to celebrating with us, the women in the loan program also showed us how they pay back their loans each month, and even brought out the big metal box where they keep their money. There are 3 locks on the box, requiring 3 separate keys to open it, and each of 3 different women wears a key around their neck to keep everyone accountable. This system seems to be working well for them, and they claim that they have all been very successful using and paying back the loan money. Without banks in the village, these are the only loans available to women who want to start or expand a business, and they are so grateful to be given this opportunity. We will continue to update you on the progress of our project, and hopefully by the next report we will have reached our goal! Thanks so much to everyone who is helping us to better the lives of these rural Tanzanian women.
With hearts full of gratitude,
Judy Lane & Felicia Smith of Maasai Partners
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