Iringa Hope visits 2014: Out to Tungamalinga

On Friday we went out to Tungamalinga. Tungamalinga lies about 60 kilometers west of Iringa near Ruaha National Park. We were pleased to discover that the road, which had a washboard surface last year, had been graded and now was only riddled with pot-holes!

Tungamalinga is a well-run SACCOS that has been working for several years. They have72 members, about half women. Last year they lost four members – one died and three moved, but since they admitted 5, they grew slightly. Although the SACCOS has a good capital base; 23,000,000 tsh (about $15,000); they are reluctant to admit too many more members since they cannot loan to everyone now. Last year they made 56 loans averaging about $250. This year they hope to get a loan from Iringa Hope so that they can better serve their members.

When we entered the SACCOS building we saw a pile of bags containing fertilizer. Last year we urged the SACCOS to consider selling seeds and fertilizer since the farmers often cannot get these when they need them and they are often of poor quality. This SACCOS took our suggestion to heart. They had farmers sign up and get approved for loans. Then they used the portion of the loans meant for fertilizer to buy in bulk. They are charging a modest 2% mark up to the members, so they are not making much. We suggested that a 8-10% mark up would be better, but stressed that it was only a suggestion. The decision is theirs. They told us that although this has worked okay, with some additional capital they could buy ahead and get a better price. Maybe another year we can help them with this.

Questions brought to our attention included: Can radio Furaha add more power? Reception is spotty in their area and they would like to hear our radio show. How can we farmers stop the seed dealers from selling us bad seed? Answer: Have your SACCOS buy it direct. Can you help us store our crops so that we can sell for a better price later in the year? Answer: We will look into this, but it will take a lot of capital we do not currently have.

Following the meeting we met with Angelica Kasimba, for the purpose of making a short video of her home and farm. Angelic is a 55 year old widow with 8 children. Angelica and her husband were living in nearby Ruaha National Park where he worked as a guide before his death. She and the children moved to Tungamalinga following his death and she has lived here since. She took us back to her compound to show us her new brick house, which she was able to build with the help of her loans from Iringa Hope. She has also sent children to school and one to teachers college, she has improved her farm and her quality of life.

We filmed her house, her fields, and some of her children and grandchildren; promising that we would try to make her story into a short film. She also told us that she likes the calendars we make each year, hinting, “Maybe I can be a calendar girl?”

We interviewed two other members of Iringa Hope before we left. Twandisye Ambele told us how Iringa Hope has helped her and her husband support their household of 11. Using their loans from Iringa Hope they have been able to increase their annual income by $400. This has allowed them to send their children to school.

Kaili Kifuko and his wife support 5 people in their household. They have been members of their SACCOS since 2008. Their last loan was for $200 to farm rice. They earned over $600 in profits from this loan. This allowed them to finally build a house for their family. With their latest loan they think that they will earn over $1,000 this year.

We enjoyed our visit to Tungamalinga. We were impressed by the initiative of their leaders to begin supplying fertilizer. We were also impressed by the hard work and good results of their members.