One of the ways to empower poor communities is to offer opportunities for work. At Tumaini, we are truly grateful for the opportunities to not only sponsor vulnerable children and give them hope but also to work in the communities where they come from and empower entire villages. We provide this empowerment through community-based organizations (CBOs). Through your generous donations, we are currently supporting 10 CBOs, mostly youth and women. Our goal is to double the number in 2018, primarily supporting those CBOs formed by Tumaini high school alumni.

 Here are success stories of just two CBOs:

Mwangaza
The women of Mwangaza CBO are no longer just sitting idle and waiting for someone to give them hand-outs. The word Mwangaza means light and this group of 17 women from Ngangani village is becoming a light to their community, both in their faith and economic development.

 
Their projects
Before partnering with Tumaini, this CBO depended on table banking as their primary means of supporting themselves.  Table banking is a practice whereby members gather around a table each time they meet weekly and make contributions. Members are then able to take loans at 10% interest rate. With this money, members were able to meet some of their basic needs but didn’t go very far.

Through the partnership with Tumaini, Mwangaza has been able to make some economic gains over the past two years.  We have assisted them in technical support. We provide the group with technical support in the areas of financial management, better farming methods, bookkeeping and group cohesion.  These pieces of training are offered on a monthly basis. In 2016 we provided the group with a Posho Mill machine. The machine is used to grind cereals that are a staple food in the region. The device serves the needs of the members as well as the surrounding communities, a population of 3500. So far this year, they have revenue of $200. This year, we provided a grant for $820. The funds have been used to renovate the group’s old greenhouse which had not been operational for quite some time. By the end of this month (December) they will be harvesting 1700 pieces of cabbage which are estimated to earn them $600. Lastly, we provided a free interest loan of $700 to enable the group purchase a hand water pump and install a drip line system. As a result, the group is now able to feed part of the neighborhood population with green vegetables.