Ilambilole

Wednesday morning we headed north to Ilambilole.  Ilambilole is normally a 45 minute drive, but we were warned that once we left the tarmac ,much of the road was a swamp from the rains; so we hired a driver for the trip.  The road was actually quite dry after a few sunny days, however it is pretty clear by the deep ruts that they were swampy a few days ago.

The group we met with today was small due to three other meetings going on which involve most of our members.  Scheduling conflicts have arisen due to last minute changes we have made based on road condition reports. 

With a group that was small enough to fit in the main room of the pastor’s house we were able to have our discussion over chai.  We discovered that 23 members of the SACCOS had withdrawn their savings to repay their loans after last year’s drought resulted in a very bad harvest. (Their repayment rate still remained at 100%!)  The chairman told us that all but one of these members kept their shares with the SACCOS and plan to start saving with this year’s crop.  The SACCOS worked just as it should for these members.  They built up savings in the good times so they had some money to carry them through the bad times.  Those present at the meeting were reminded that having savings to carry them is a very good thing and that they should be proud that their actions left them solvent in a bad year.

Everyone was encouraged by this.  The chairman commented (in English, so we could understand first hand), “If they had not had savings they would have had to sell their goat and kettle and other things  The prices were very low since so many were selling so they would have lost a lot.  Instead they have kept these things and will rebuild their savings.  Yes – this is a very good thing indeed.”  There was a lot of agreement that the SACCOS had been a big help to the people.  They understood that they should be emphasizing savings for the future more than they have been.

They are also forming an AMCOS here.  So far they have 87 members in their AMCOS.  Their application has been turned in to the district cooperative officer and they should be registered any day now.  Of the 87 AMCOS members about 60 are also SACCOS members.  This is what we have been expecting to happen.  There will be people who are not yet ready to save and plan but need good seed and fertilizer and want help selling their crops.  We think that over time the two groups will be nearly identical, but for now we are expecting the AMCOS members to outnumber the SACCOS members.

Last year we organized a program to sell fertilizer here.  Everyone agreed that it was an excellent program.  They got what they wanted, when they wanted it, and at a good price.  They were excited to have us expand this again this year.

When the business meeting wrapped up, Sandy turned to the interviews.  The first member she talked with was Frank Nyalusi, 52 and married, with eight children.  Frank has taken out 3 loans since joining the SACCOS.  The last loan he completed was for 300,000 TZS.  He used this together with some funds he had put aside to plant maize.  Fortunately for Frank his land lies five kilometers from the village and got good rains.  As a result his crop was very good, netting him almost 2,000,000 TZS ($1,000) after all of his expenses.  He used his profits to help his three children who are studying at the University and pay fees for another 3 who are still in secondary school.  This year Frank has taken out a 200,000 TZS loan and is again planting maize.

Sandy then talked with Atuwene Fute, 46 and widowed with three grown children and five grandchildren.  Two of her grandchildren, ages nine and seven, live with her, relying on her for their support.   Last year she took out a loan for 120,000 TZS which she used to plant one acre of maize and buy two pigs.  120,000 was the maximum she could borrow because she has 40,000 in savings.  She planted her crop using local seeds and only one application of fertilizer. Atuwene made a profit of 10,000 per pig when she sold them and a profit of 70,000 from her maize.  She used her profit to make bricks for a house, which is almost finished.  She also raises chickens to sell and she sells eggs in town.  She told us that without her loan she would not have been able to do more than earn enough to eat.  Instead she is excited that she is going to have a house in another year or so and can move out of her mud hut!

This group has been hoping to build a small building for their SACCOS and AMCOS.  The SACCOS has been meeting in the village common building and the church.  They have no office for the SACCOS.  Last year they borrowed the village common building for storing their fertilizer, but they had to move it out within 3 days.

They have acquired some land and cleared it to build a building.  Right now they have planted it in maize, but they are eager to see a building on the lot.  It clearly would be a great advantage to them to be able to build. 

This afternoon we are off to Mbeya to look at a project for the University.  We know the VC of Academic Affairs here and he wants our advice.

It is easy to see that this road was a swamp just a few days ago.

Two of the members of the SACCOS and AMCOS came from another meeting.  The chairman of the SACCOS greeted them and asked about the other group.

The first member Sandy talked with was Frank Nyalusi, 52 and married, with eight children.  Frank has taken out 3 loans since joining the SACCOS.

Sandy talked with Atuwene Fute, 46 and widowed with three grown children and five grandchildren.  Two of her grandchildren, ages nine and seven, live with her, relying on her for their support.

The members have acquired this land to build a combination SACCOS and AMCOS office.

They have been using this community building.  It leaks and has no storage.