First To Kitowo

Monday was a double header.  We went first to Kitowo and then to Pommerini.  Both of these villages lie along the cratered road south from Iringa towards Mwatasi (we’ll go there on Wednesday).  The road has never been good, but with the rains that just ended, it has gotten deeply rutted.  Driving along Sandy and Peter kept telling Tom he was going too fast.  “How fast do you think I am going?” Tom asked them.  “Too fast,” was the reply.  We were driving 20-25 mph!

After an hour of being alternately airborne, shaken, and smashed into our seats we arrived at Kitowo.  Driving these roads makes it easy to understand why cars need so much maintenance.  Tom has driven through swamps, down logging trails, over handmade bridges, etc. when he has gone hunting and fishing; but, he says, for shaking and rattling these roads are unmatched!

Arriving at Kitowo we went to have chai before the meeting. The officers met with us there to go over the statistics for Kitowo, which now has 86 members – 35 men and 51 women.  This is up a lot in the last year.  The chairman tells us that our fertilizer program was a major benefit to our members that did not go unnoticed. 

Last year they lent $16,000 to 47 members.  Even though there was a minor drought here and prices were very low, they had 100% on-time repayment.  This year they are hoping to be able to borrow more from Iringa Hope.  We are adding capital to our loan pool as fast as we are able, but they will be lucky to receive the same amount; there are so many members needing loans that we can’t keep up with the demand.

 When we went over to meet with the members Peter gave a class on the importance of buying shares.  He and Itiweni have been emphasizing this since the SACCOS members are not buying shares at the rate they think that they should (buying shares is one way to build savings and loan funds). 

When the class was finished one of the members asked some questions about having an AMCOS.  This year we are working on starting AMCOS where we have strong SACCOS.  An AMCOS is basically a Farmers co-op.  It will sell seeds, fertilizer, and spray and will help market crops.  We think that this is the natural thing to add to a SACCOS (which is basically a cooperative savings and loan).  We were thinking of working on starting one here, but not just yet.  

Apparently, this group has been talking with members of the Pommerini AMCOS, which was started last year, and has started collecting funds for their own. 

Peter explained how to start an AMCOS and what the rules are.  We promised that Peter and Itiweni will come back and work with them some more.  We think that Kitowo will be another strong site.

Sandy and Peter decided to talk with the lady who had been asking so many questions.  Her name was Rehema Nyasi, 54 and married with 3 children and 6 grandchildren.  She tells us that she has 2 of her grandchildren and 2 of her brother’s children living with her and her husband.  She has taken out 2 loans from this SACCOS.  Her first loan was for $650.  She used this loan to plant her 5 acres with maize.  The yield here was not too bad last year (she got 11 bags per acre.  A normal year would yield 15 bags per acre), but the prices were very low running about $13/bag (in a normal year she would earn $25/bag).  As a result she only earned $100 after paying off her loan and all of her expenses.  So she took what she earned and bought some shares and increased her savings.

This year she borrowed $400 to fertilize her field and apply herbicide.  She tells us that the herbicide was hard to get, but it is so much cheaper than hiring help.  She used to hire 4 people to hoe her fields.  With the herbicide she has hired no one – a big savings.  She hasn’t used it before because it just became available this year.  She learned about it, and where to get it, from a training course she attended.  This year her crop looks very good.  If good weather continues she will harvest about 75 bags of maize.  With prices back to normal this crop should sell for about $1,800 – a very good profit.

We said good bye and headed down the road to Pommerini.  We will be posting that story tomorrow.

The officers met us when we arrived.  We went over to the pastor's home for chai and to discuss last year's results.

It is interesting that normally the men sit on one side of the room and the women on the other.  Sometimes a mama or papa will not follow this and sit where they please.

Peter decided to sit for his class.  He is still tired from his "little bit of malaria."  (At Pommerini we will find people gone to a funeral.  That person died from a "little bit of malaria.")

This little boy kept peeking around his mother to look at Tom.

This lady wanted to know how to start an AMCOS.

Sandy decided to interview her.

Rehema Nyasi is 54 and married with 3 children and 6 grandchildren.  She tells us that she has 2 of her grandchildren and 2 of her brother’s children living with her and her husband.  She has taken out 2 loans from this SACCOS.