Mastidia Rwechungula

Mambo (Greetings!) from Tanzania! This is Mastidia A Rwechungula from Dar es Salaam. She thirty-four years old and divorced with four children. She is also responsible for supporting two additional dependants whose parents cannot take care of them. Mastidia has been running a poultry business since 2006. Raising chickens ("kuku" in Swahili) is a popular micro-business in Tanzania, especially among SELFINA clients.

There are a number of reasons why this is a popular business. 1) Raising chickens requires little start-up capital. You can start with one or two, and either add to them as you go, or wait for them to multiply naturally. 2) They require little space, so sometimes you can just let them run around in your garden or compound. 3) While they are growing they produce eggs, which can either be sold to provide a supplementary source of income, or eaten to provide a supplementary source of protein.

Mastidia works hard at her business with the assistance of her children. She currently earns about $100 a month from her business. She is requesting a loan of 300,000 TSH in order to purchase additional chicks. In the future, she plans to improve her business. Mastidia thanks you for your support!

ABOUT SELFINA:

SELFINA has taken a lead role as a pioneer of micro-credit in Tanzania through Micro-Leasing. The organization is engaged in the economic empowerment of women in Tanzania through the provision of a leasing and leaseback microfinance facility. Customs and traditions in Tanzania make it difficult for women to own land and assets, thus they are termed non-creditworthy by financial institutions. This leads to poor financial support and poor access to basic needs and services for women with low incomes. One of the primary advantages of microleasing is that is allows clients to use the equipment as collateral for future loans with SELFINA, thus enabling them to borrow larger sums in the future.

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