NAME: KILIMANJARO WOMEN’S DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION (KIWODEA)
Women’s Trust Fund (WTF)
CONTACTS: Nancy Tesha (Chair Person) 0754 310552
Gudila Kiboka ( Secretary ) 0754 892705
Rachel Sabuni ( Vice Chair Person) 0784 466191
Email: gudystambul@yahoo.com
makisikitesha@yahoo.com
Address: KIWODEA / WTF Box 9781
Moshi – Tanzania.
Alumni References: Thea Bader: ttbad@yahoo.com
Jeffrey Burrell: jburrell228@hotmail.com
Allison Basile: arbasile11@hotmail.com
MISSION:
To support and empower disadvantaged or overburdened women, orphans and individuals with HIV / AIDS through community support groups, education, business development and micro-credit loans.
The goal of KIWODEA / WTF is to create empowered, confident and self reliant community within the Kilimanjaro region’s most impoverished neighborhoods.
To achieve this WTF will function as:
A small business development and education center. It will organize, establish and promote the exchange of ideas through educational workshops and seminars.
The center will provide its members with networking and micro-credit loan opportunities.
All WTF operations will be based on three premises: Transparency, accountability and sustainability within the organization and the community itself.
MEMBERSHIPS:
The community, members in the Kilimanjaro region are of limited resources who are attempting small business activity at the same time continue to struggle with poverty. KIWODEA / WTF has ordinary members from the local community and associate members internationally.
Community members may join WTF by paying a one-time entry fee of 2000/= Ts (Tanzanian shillings) Once paid members may attend WTF meetings and workshops and may apply for micro-credit loan program. WTF meetings will be held twice per month to discuss the administrative and organizational issues. WTF members, who are participating in the micro-credit loan program, will report on the progress of their business development and loan repayment.
Associate members may include NGO’s; Faith based organizations, or any individual who wants to support KIWODEA / WTF from abroad.
Micro-Credit Loan Program:
KIWODEA / WTF members will have the right to borrow money from WTF in the form of micro-credit loans for the purpose of expanding their business. Members must meet specific conditions in order to qualify for the program for the program.
Volunteer Activities:
Formulate ideas for sustainable income generating activities.
To educate the members on issues pertaining to business development through workshops, seminars, meetings and other related business activities.
Teach English to the members.
Participate in teaching the nursery school / day care centre.
Suggest possible means of establishing an information / retail centre somewhere in Moshi. This centre could raise awareness of KIWODEA and its activities and raise capital by selling traditional Tanzania products, where possible produced / sold by group members i.e. khanga, batik fabrics, jewellery, crafts, some food etc.
Brainstorm on how to utilize the tailoring and embroidery skills of many group members and provide extra income for the group.
In cooperation with the group they can think of a modality of searching some funding organizations.
Develop what was done by former volunteers from a different approach.
Revisit and modify the KIWODEA brochures.
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Shikamoo to my elders! Jambo to my peers! Mambo to my juniors!
The following could be a story about courage, rejection, resurrection, hope, hopelessness, survival, epiphany, and enlightenment. Since this is Easter, we believers know that somewhere there must be angels. This is a story about the brave women of Msaranga who have organized themselves and are formally known as the Kikundi Cha Chawamaki.
They had the courage to openly admit to their HIV/AIDS affliction. For this, they have been stigmatised, ridiculed, rejected, and marginalized. The common thread forced them to form a group to engage in economic activities in an attempt to feed themselves as well as their extended family of some eighty-five (85) children. For them, this is a matter of survival.
This volunteer’s career involved utilizing principles of economics to help the rich get richer. However, a desire to utilize these same principles with a group which is truly in need. It is no accident that this Easter I am in Tanzania working with poor women afflicted with HIV/AIDS.
During the first week, I was introduced to the chairperson Mama Judith and the secretary Vumillia at CCS’s meet the partners briefing. They described their organization’s issues and needs. What was most striking for me was the story I saw in their eyes. I saw hopelessness and despair steering back at me. There were pleas for help; any help for that matter. They had the look of abused and abandoned spouses. Their only worldly possessions were the children left for them to rare alone on the mere subsistence earnings. Resounding in my head were the parting words “we just need an angel” uttered by Vumillia in a haunting voice.
The weekend following this meeting, I went on a safari. Standing in the bowels of Ngorongoro National Park, I stood in awe of creation. For me, it was like an epiphany. “We just need an angel” echoed in my head. I knew then that I was in the right place; that is, with a worthy people. I stand committed to their cause.
In the first week with the group, during a period of needs analysis, lessons were learnt through humorous story telling. There was the story of two hungry men; each with 100 Tsh. Price of bread 150 Tsh. Neither could buy or eat bread, until out of a desperate need to survive they were enlightened to the fact that pooling their money they could both eat bread and still have money saved. From this story, the group decided to abandon their present non-profitable individual pursuits and adopt a collective one-for-all, all-for-one approach. The group accepted the idea that this new approach would allow the group, as a whole, to become healthier and that a healthier body is a more productive body. Further, that the maintenance of good health is critical given their maladies.
They needed to determine profitable income-generating enterprises. Another need expressed was their desire to provide outreach to other HIV/AIDS affected women in hiding hoping that Chawamaki’s success would be an example to them. Ultimately, the most critical need to achieve these goals was funding.
This volunteer enquired about funding opportunities through a series of meeting with Chawamaki’s umbrella group, Kiwodea. From listening to both sides, it was apparent that there were very strong feelings, misunderstandings, and/or miscommunications between the groups. What was clear is that Kiwodea did not have the means to meet the unique needs of the Msaranga group. Chawamaki, therefore, felt that they were being marginalized and that they might have to seek an independent source of support. Autonomy was considered by the membership as an option.
To support income-generating projects, funding was sought and provided for the (1) purchase of 12 pigs with six months feed and medicine; (2) building of a chicken coop to house 50 chicks with feed and medicine for six months; (3) leasing of village acreage for vegetable production; and (4) the provision of continuing health nutrition and business management consulting.
After three weeks, the foundation had been laid. It was the day before Easter Sunday. In the faces of my friends, fear was replaced by confidence, hopelessness by hope, and sadness by joy. Amidst the laughter, the voice of Vumillia again sounded “maybe when you come back here, we may not even be sick anymore.” Now that is faith! That is hope! You see, Easter is new living life, the reason the disciples were transformed from terrified, defeated, and scattered individuals to a confident and joyful body of believers. Just as the group called Kikundi Cha Chawamaki of Msaranga.
Until next time my friends, kwaheri! Ivan B. Martin
13th April 2007
To: All KIWODEA-WTF Affiliates
From: Ariana Leo
This report contains a summary of the activities carried out during the past twelve weeks, and a number of recommendations. It is divided into eight sections as follows. Please refer to the original report submitted by Siwan Davies and Elfyn Henderson as some sections have not changed.
1. 501 (c) (3) Status: The U.S. based tax-exempt account information
2. Micro Loans
3. Business Clinic
4. Promotion
5. Workshops
6. Income Generating Activities
7. The Education Fund
8. Orphanage/Daycare Center
9. Volunteer Communication
1. 501 (c) (3) Status: The U.S. based tax-exempt account information
Kathy Harris, a former volunteer’s mother, recently opened up a tax-deductible account, so fundraising should be easier on all of us. What you need to know to donate: It is a US Bank account based in Spokane, WA called the Kilimanjaro Women's Development Fund.
The routing number is 125000105.
The account number is 153559182586.
The Tax ID number is 20-8544845.
Kathy Harris sent Mama Nancy / Gudilla a debit card for this account so that we do not have to bother with sending checks to Moshi. We found that the CRDB bank charges 20% for all checks. Mama Nancy / Mama Gudilla should be given a tutorial on how to use the debit card at ATMs and how to document all transactions. Looking into a different bank should also be considered as Mama Nancy said that they are not earning interest at CRDB and are actually charged every month for housing the money. I would recommend weighing the options of other banks before moving the funds. Standard Chartered and Stanbic may be good options.
2. Micro-Loans
The Micro loan program needs better supervision. Unfortunately, during our time with the women we did not focus on the loan program until the end of our time in Moshi. Before leaving, we were able to grant 19 silver-level loans and 8 bronze-level loans. According to Gudilla, all women who received the first bronze loan had repaid and were able to receive the silver-level loan. The 8 bronze-level loans were awarded to some of the women of Msaranga who paid the 2,000 TSH entry fee. While the micro loans have greatly improved the lives of many of the women, the program will not be successful if KIWODEA does not start keeping better records. The women have a good understanding of the loan system, but should be reminded often about saving money and better utilizing their loans.
Ivan Martin, a former volunteer, helped to start the Msaranga women with two large chicken and pig projects. Per Ivan’s wishes, there is a chance that the group will separate after their 8 bronze loans are paid.
Ivan did not feel that the loan program would suffice for the women of Msaranga, which is why he started other projects with them. Contact Edward Lymo (Mama Grace’s son) with any questions.
3. Business Clinic
The business clinic did not occur while I was in Moshi. This should be started again.
4. Promotion
Brochure
The brochures still need work. There is a Swahili brochure in Mama Nancy’s email that should be utilized. Caroline Roth wrote a new brochure that Nancy has in her possession and was distributed at the Trade Fair. Unfortunately, I believe the electronic version was lost at the internet café.
Letterhead
Nancy has the letterhead in her email. I also sent the letterhead to the new KIWODEA email account noted below.
Email
The kiwodea@yahoo.com password is not working. I created a new account:
KIWODEA_WTF@hotmail.com – password: micro-credit
I sent a few pertinent emails to the account already. I hope we can work on our transitions through this.
5. Workshops
The workshops did not occur while I was in Moshi. This should also be started again and maintained.
6. Income Generating Activities
We still need to apply for funding through larger organizations. Detailed applications should be submitted to both local and foreign organizations. We have made great progress but will continue to need sustainable funding.
Bee Keeping and Banana Leaf Souvenirs
Very recently KIWODEA received a large grant in the amount of 31,000,0000 TSH from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to conduct two sustainable income generating projects that have little impact on the environment: bee keeping and banana leaf art souvenirs. The Kilimanjaro region is considered a World Heritage site and human and environmental preservation is extremely important. Mama Nancy sits on the UNDP board and made this proposal a success. A deposit for these projects already hit the KIWODEA account (after about a year of waiting) and training started my last week in Moshi. The budget is already delineated for the various costs of training, supplies, production and marketing. Mama Nancy should show all volunteers the UNDP project proposal outline. Be sure to look at the proposal and try to follow it closely as the UNDP will request detailed reports on spending, etc. It would also be helpful if a volunteer could scan the proposal and send to the main email account.
Important Note: Before I left, money was taken from the UNDP funds as an advance to grant loans. I allowed this only because the money will be replaced with money raised in the U.S., which resides in the U.S. bank account we set up. Once the U.S. bank account’s debit card reaches Mama Tesha/ Mama Gudilla, the money taken from the UNDP fund should be replaced with the money from this account. As you can imagine, this is extremely important. Mama Gudilla knows exactly how much was taken to grant the loans. Consult with her to balance the funds.
The first project initiated was for banana leaf art. Training was conducted by Sister Mary. Sister Mary was paid 50,000 TSH per training session. I am not sure how often she came for training. Please confirm that all costs are noted. All the members seemed very excited about this training and were happy to get started. As finished products come in, new marketing strategies should be developed.
The bee keeping/honey producing project has great potential. From what I understand, producing honey in Africa is a bit different than producing honey in the U.S. There are two types of honey bees here – the kind that sting and the kind that don't. The bees that don't sting are smaller, more expensive, they need flowers, and they produce 1 liter of honey per barrel. The bees that do sting are bigger, less expensive, don't need flowers, and they produce 12 liters of honey per barrel. At first Nancy said that they had budgeted for stinging bees. Please confirm that this is the case and if so, we need to find a good secluded location where the women can all go to work with these stinging bees. Unfortunately, the proposal did not include a project site. Finding funding for this will be difficult as it also involves getting a plot of land from the government. Mama Nancy had some places in mind, but they have to be secluded as it is dangerous. Mama Nancy and Gudilla know of a bee-keeping trainer named Masawi. Someone should meet with him and find out his terms for training, etc.
Once established, they can also produce their own honey and banana wine as well as preserves. Again, pay close attention to the marketing as outlined in the proposal.
Information/Retail Centre – KIWODEA’s Headquarters
Caroline and I focused on the KIWODEA headquarters because we see great potential with the space. The building sat vacant for 15 years and it was definitely time to utilize everything the building has to offer. We fundraised to give the building a new roof, paint, and a new vision of a one-stop-shop. Mama Nancy will explain more of the one-stop-shop idea.
The area surrounding KIWODEA has drastically changed for the better. The government just relocated a market right next to KIWODEA where they sell used clothing, shoes, and some food. This provides business yet also competition. We are not exactly sure how they will develop the Sabasaba area, but they tore down many homes and shops along KIWODEA’s street. Strong branding and advertising will be essential in making KIWODEA a destination.
Catering Service
A catering service for events like weddings, funerals, and parties would be a great income-generating activity for KIWODEA. It is my goal to use some of the money we raised to purchase a few solar ovens, which will cut down on the cost of wood and fossil fuel. Many of the women are already fantastic cooks and find the work enjoyable.
Authentic Tourist Experience / Cultural Safari
With the new headquarters, it is possible to partner with CCS to drive new volunteers over to the site and show them the cultural one-stop-shop (cooking, tailors, carpenters, shop, and daycare). The partnership would be similar to the current partnership CCS has with Unique Batik. Unique Batik is not an easy destination to get to but it is thriving because CCS shuttles volunteers there quite often. Granted, we have a lot of work to do before we become a destination, but establishing this partnership with CCS will be an important factor.
Clothing Project
This project was initiated by Marcy Berlin. Marcy has done wonderful things with this project and has made quite a few sales at Liberty store in New York City. I suggest that this program continue.
For clarification, there were three tailors involved: Voomilia, Nicholous, and Chresencia. KIWODEA WTF paid for all fabric up-front. Each outfit sells for $15 USD. Marcy sent the first check of $100 USD to KIWODEA and the money was distributed fairly as it should going forward. After a lengthy discussion, the women decided that each tailor should make a profit of 5,000 TSH per outfit sold. It appears as though each tailor made 50 outfits, so the money should be divided evenly per check received. The remaining profit will go into the Trust Fund to repay the initial capital invested. Marcy will be in Moshi in July and can advise further. As the project grows, so should the quality of fabric and detail…
For any questions, contact Marcy Berlin: msb10025@rcn.com
Trade Fair
On March 1st we had a big Women's Trade Fair at KIWODEA and it was great fun. We worked very hard on preparation, etc. Unfortunately, there weren't enough "mzungus" there to make a huge profit, but we made a good amount. Nonetheless, it was great to raise awareness and bring everyone together. As fun as this was, I would not recommend having another one.
7. The Education Fund
Caroline fundraised at Dartmouth to send her 17-year-old friend in need, Clementina, to school and get her off the streets. Click here to view the article:
http://www.thedartmouth.com/article.php?aid=2007021601070
Because of the donations and encouragement she received from her fellow classmates she was able to open the KIWODEA Education Fund, which will help other underprivileged girls go to school. After graduation the girls can become active members of KIWODEA. We hope that all volunteers continue to raise money for this cause.
8. Orphanage/Daycare Center
Now that the building is habitable, steps towards building the orphanage can begin. It is our hope that volunteers continue to fundraise at home to better establish the building with a new bathroom (for girls and boys), a kitchen facility (the restaurant area), and everything else needed for the orphanage. Mama Nancy has talked to the resident carpenter about making bunk beds, but it may be too expensive for our budget. I would recommend buying plastic tables and chairs with any money raised for this purpose. I would also recommend shopping around for less expensive bunk beds and mattresses. Another issue involves shelves for books and cubbies for clothes and toys. Wood shelves will probably be expensive, but it is hard to find plastic over there. Again, fundraising is essential! Donations of books have already come in, so starting a library would be great.
I would recommend visiting the two orphanages near CCS – Matumaini and Tuleni for ideas.
Another minor long term goal would be to have some artificial turf or live grass (although maintenance could be a problem) in the play area outside. This will ensure that the children have a soft place to play and cut down on the dust that enters the building. The appearance will set KIWODEA apart.
9. Volunteer Communication
Let’s start to utilize the KIWODEA email--it is imperative that we streamline our efforts and try not to overlap. Please update the list with your information before you leave Moshi. It would be wonderful to hear updates from you before you leave.
The email list is as follows:
Caroline Roth - croth@dartmouth.edu
Nancy Tesha - makisikitesha@yahoo.com
Mama Gudila - gudykimboka@yahoo.com
Kathy Harris - krossih@gmail.com
Cassandra Keiser - KEISERC@mailbox.sc.edu
Peter Rubinas - prubinas@gmail.com
Marcy Berlin - msb10025@rcn.com
Sarah Gregory - sarahgregory879@hotmail.com
Siwan Davies - siwandavies@yahoo.co.uk
Elfyn Henderson - elfynhenderson@hotmail.com
Stacy Pfisterer - siber@msn.com
Ariana Leo – ariana.m.leo@gmail.com
Lindsay Cook - lwc24@cornell.edu
Introduction and Overview
The women’s development community is set up thus:
Kiwodea is made up of individual women in the community who each hold their own small business. They have come to Kiwodea out of a sense of community, a sense of poverty, and a sense of worry about their business. The women themselves are looking for business advice and additional education. This can be tackled in a manner of ways: helping explain loans, helping teaching good accounting practices, and doing research on better methods with which they may run their businesses. However, their English and mathematic skills need to be greatly developed before such education can be effective.
Sources of Funding
Funds come into Kiwodea in 3 different manners:
1. Fundraising. From our experience there, the women have little to no fundraising ideas or practices. Each July there is Saba Saba where the women sell goods that they have made, such as banana leaf cards. The only other fundraising they have tried is a trade fair where they attempted to bring CCS volunteers to Kiwodea to buy their goods. This idea, however, failed because few volunteers showed up.
2. Volunteers. The women rely HEAVILY upon financial assistance from volunteers. As will be experience by all volunteers that work at Kiwodea, there is an underlying tone to donate/raise money. Past volunteers have done so which has been wonderful for the building and grounds of Kiwodea itself but clearly does not help the women in the long term, especially since they want to work on sustainability. Currently, volunteers are providing the funds which the women are using as their loans. This is not sustainable and will cause overdependence. A more detailed outline of the loans follows below.
3. Grants. A government grant has been given which is for the specific use of training the women in the art of banana leaf card making and beehive keeping. As far as we can tell, the women are given the choice of learning these skills and are not required to receive the training. The goal is for each of the women to eventually own their own beehive, which Kiwodea will buy for them. In this way, the women will be able to bring in a very lucrative profit and can exist without Kiwodea’s support, even though they hope they will continue to remain apart of the Kiwodea community.
Loan Structure
The women have been receiving small loans in steadily increasing increments. The first loan was 20,000tsh which was not paid back by all the women. Those that did not pay back the 20,000tsh loan were not eligible to receive the next loan, valued at 50,000tsh. There have been several workshops in the past which have educated the women on the importance of using the money specifically for their businesses by purchasing more raw materials. In this way, the women can sell more goods, make a profit, and still pay back the loan with interest. The system is very structured and for this upcoming loan repayment, the women must pay 10,500tsh every month for 5 months.
Our Approach
Our group of 3 had very little guidance from our Point of Contact, Nancy Tesha. As such, the volunteers decided to create 3 objectives that were obtainable within our timeframe. This worked very well and gave us a sense of direction. It is our recommendation that volunteers try not to act as Management as Kiwodea already has a hierarchy structure in place.
Our objectives were as follows:
1) Research basic business practices for the businesses (wine bottling, pig/chicken farming) and forward the information to the women.
2) Teach English and Mathematics to the women on a daily basis
3) Create this document for future volunteers at Kiwodea.
Improvement Opportunities
Improvements to this loan process would involve teaching the women on how to plan for repay of their loans. Many women do not have the basic math understand to comprehend a gain vs. a loss vs. profit. There is a lack of understanding about record keeping. It should be noted that on all levels of mathematics the women are very diverse, some with excellent skills and some with no basic addition or subtraction backgrounds. The women need to be instructed on how to PLAN for the future, so that they can calculate out accurate business models
.
Also, we were unaware of what happens to women who defaulted on the first loan. Are they given another chance? Are they taught what their mistakes are? This is an area where improvement needs to be sought.
As hinted at above, the women have mathematic and English skills that vary. As far as accounting practices go, the women need to be taught debits and credits, negative numbers and positive numbers, in a simple way. Along with this is the importance of showing that if the loans are used for the homelife and not for the business, homelife improves only for a short time. But if the business as a WHOLE is bringing in more money, homelife improves in the long run. The difficulty with such business teachings is the language barrier. It is important that CCS get a translator for the volunteers so that they can more effectively teach the women these lessons.
Another excellent idea which we employed is getting local successful business men and women to speak to the women about their own business keeping practices. Abas, a local merchant who works across the street, has excellent English and runs numerous successful businesses. The lady who operates Unique Batik, a clothing store in Moshi, would also be a great guest speaker. Having someone who speaks the language and can sympathize with the local businesses’ problems will have more success than any outsider.
Finally, as far as the business end is concerned, the women need help in the form of research. It would be invaluable to show the women the power of the internet. Seeing, however, as internet cafes cost 500tsh for only a half hour of time, which most of the women don’t have, it may be left up to the volunteers to answer questions such has how to incubate eggs, medications for pigs, and what type of cork to use for wine bottles. Speaking with the women one on one will be the most helpful for dealing with these sorts of problems.
Another very important area which the women have shown interest is English. In our time spent there, we attempted to give women basic greetings and business communication, such as “how much”, “that’s too expensive,” etc. As with math, the women’s English skills are all over the board. Some have some very good conversational English, but are lacking the vocabulary. Others need to start at the very beginning.
ADVISE FOR FOCUSED VOLUNTEER WORK
Do not become overwhelmed with the multitude of areas that need adjusting at Kiwodea. The important thing to remember is that being one person, it is imperative to find one area that you believe you can improve and working on that area. We have listed above the various manners in which one can participate and have given some examples of how we spent our time there.
This guide is also meant to warn you against the distractions you may find once you arrive at Kiwodea. Mama Tesha, “the head woman” started Kiwodea as part of her master’s thesis statement. She is a very strong and proud woman, but is very disjointed from what the women’s wants and needs are. She WILL push you for money. We, however, feel that CCS’s stance on donations is clear and the short term benefits of such money will pale in comparison to solid business practices.
It is also important to note that the financial situation of Kiwodea is unstable. They need help setting up American friendly bank accounts, so past volunteers who are continuing to support Kiwodea financially can deposit checks into the account. As of now, Mama Tesha as full reign on these funds. In order to ensure financial accuracy, there needs to be a monthly reconciliation of the funds. (Perhaps, this could be done by Kiwodea’s secretary Gudilla.)
Please feel free to contact me with any question or concern you might have.
Jeffrey Burrell: jburrell228@hotmail.com
Please remove all e-mail addresses and bank account information from this post and the related comments. Publishing e-mail addresses on a website like this leads to spam. Thank you.
I am trying all avenues to find this very special lady, Mama Lida Msaki, who owns(ed) the Unique Batik Shop on Dar Road, P O Box 102233, Moshi, TZ.
I worked with Mama Lida while I was volunteering with CCS in 2005. I have been in frequent contact with her since.
I emailed her this past January and heard back from her in February saying her baba had become ill.
I emailed March, April and May with no answer.
I know that she opened a hostel at the old CCS building in Rau and must be very busy, however, she has ALWAYS answered by emails and I am very worried about her.
Has anything happened to her?
Can anyone help me?
Asante sana,
Patricia Gott
www.prgottbooks.net
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