A Match Made in Heaven
27 October 2008
After working at FINCA for six years and then earning a Masters degree in the United States, Winnie Terry was well prepared to start a new microfinance organization (MFI). Together with some former colleagues, she opened an MFI in Dar es Salaam known as Tujijenge Tanzania (meaning “build together” in KiSwahili). With Winnie as the managing director, they kicked off in July 2006 and were giving loans to their first groups that November.
When Winnie first learned about microfinance in 1998, her initial reaction was, “that will never work!” But after she started working at FINCA, she found she related well to the women receiving loans and liked this systematic method of offering credit. When opening Tujijenge Tanzania, her and her colleagues were looking to fine-tune the process of offering credit. Even today, Tujijenge isn’t trying to be the largest MFI in Dar es Salaam in terms of clients or portfolio size. Rather, they want to be an MFI of best practices. They work hard to determine the needs of their clients and meet those needs through innovative products. For example, Tujijenge administers debit cards when disbursing a loan instead of handing a client a wad of cash. They believe this hinders the urge to quickly spend the cash on hand, and is safer for the clients and loan officers than carrying cash.
In the next few years, Tujijenge is hoping to expand its outreach and grow its portfolio – but at a sustainable pace. In 2009, Tujijenge intends to open a second branch in Mtwara. Just north of the Mozambican border, Mtwara is a rural area where there is little or no access to credit.
When speaking with her, Winnie stressed the importance of being a transparent and honest MFI. To Winnie, working for a transparent and honest organization is more important than anything else. When I heard this, I immediately thought about the importance Kiva places on transparency. Perhaps this underlying principal of transparency is why Kiva and Tujijenge Tanzania are such great partners!
To see loans currently being fundraised by Tujijenge Tanzania, click here.
Entry Filed under: Africa, KF5 (Kiva Fellows 5th Class), Tanzania, Tujijenge Tanzania Ltd. Tags: Jara Small.
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1. Jan & John, KivaFriends | 27 October 2008 at 23:07
This is a wonderful story, thank you. We seldom get a feel for the people behind the scenes at the MFI’s. It is so easy to think of the MFI as just another big company with employees doing a job rather than a group of people actually trying to help the poor and do what would be best for the client. Thank you for going there and sharing your experiences with us. Jan
2. JD | 28 October 2008 at 17:41
Nice posting, Jara! How about a photo of Winnie? We’d like to see a face to go with the story.
JD
3. Angela L. | 2 December 2008 at 14:47
Hey There~
Feels like you’ve only just left for your trip, but time sure flies. Read all your postings and some were hiliarious. I like the one about your bus trip and knowing when you are in Tanzania. Your experience there seems soo interesting.