Tanzania: Agriculture Tractor Project
About 80% of the coastal regions’ population depends on agriculture for their living. Simultaneously, 90% of farmers live on less than a dollar a day, making their survival an extremely difficult challenge to overcome. While Pangani District has 122.000 hectares of land favorable for agriculture, only 40,088.75 hectares are currently being under cultivation. Moreover, most of small-scale subsistence farmers lack basic tools and resources needed to flatten as well as plough their farmland.
The TRACTOR project (Transforming Rural Agricultural Communities Through On-farm Revolution) will revolutionize small-scale agriculture by flattening and ploughing thousands of hectares of fertile land by means of a free tractor facility initially provided to 750-1000 poorest households, with help of donor Dr. Parker from Australia. High quality seeds, tools and trainings on modern agricultural practices provided to the farmers will lead to doubling or tripling of their current volume of production which will immensely improve their standards of living.
Tanzania: Small Enterprises Development Project
Extremely vulnerable individuals (EVIs) face scarcity of assets related to their physical condition. Islamic Help Tanzania defines EVIs as widows, extremely poor individuals living on less than a dollar day, persons with physical disability and HIV. Limited access to resources, stigma/abuse, negligence and discrimination are the common issues that they face. Due to lack of assets and skills, their exclusion and mobility problems, they are often unable to generate livelihoods for themselves and have to rely on family support.
In 2013, Islamic Help Tanzania established a Shariah-compliant microcredit service along Islamic concept of Qurz-e-hasna. The SACCOS project aims to provide microfinance services as a means of curbing entrepreneur challenges of savings, promoting small businesses and independence for those living in poverty.
IHT provides technical and financial support to EVIs (both men and women) to establish and manage small businesses (such as grocery shops, cafeterias, small hotels, agriculture loans etc.) that are sustainable and have a lasting impact on their lives. These enterprises are relatively small, have informal structures, require least mobility and flexibility, low capital needs, modest educational requirements, low labour intensity, and depend on local raw materials.
Through SACCOS small scale entrepreneurs can get up-to 500 USD of soft loans (Riba-free) to start businesses or expand existing businesses.
This way, already 320 small entrepreneurs have benefited from the credit services provided to them.
Emmanuel Raba- A story of determination
Emmanuel, a 50 year-old resident of Meka village in Pangani District is severely handicapped by polio. Because of his inability to feed his family of 8 people, his wife left him along with 4 children. Emmanuel, with his strong sense of determination, never gave up and kept on running a small business of selling cigarettes at his door step. He was barely making a half a dollar a day, trying to ensure that his children are provided with a minimum daily intake of food. Through Islamic Help livelihood project, he was given a small wooden shop and stock of groceries. After 6 months of his setting up shop, supported by Islamic Help, Emmanuel is earning from 6 up to 10 dollars a day, which made him one of the most affluent people in his village.
Emmanuel has a dream to remarry and send his children to a better school. He had many plans and ambitions which he could never accomplish because of his disability. Now, all that he is left with are the hopes which he holds for his children’s future.
He said, “I am sure that if my children are well-educated, there is nothing they can’t achieve and they will fulfill my dreams”. “I am extremely grateful to Islamic Help for lighting up my dark world”.
Tanzania: Livestock -Artificial Insemination of animals
Tanzania is home to 21.3 million large cattle population which makes it the biggest in Eastern Africa. However, 97% of all animals are kept by small holders who are often faced with poor productivity due to indigenous breeds (constituting 99% of all breeds). While an indigenous breed cow has the capacity to provide only 2-3 liters of milk daily, improved breeds (such as Jersey or Holstein breeds) can give as much as 7-10 liters of milk. With improved breeds, small-holder farmers can significantly increase their income by 300%. Artificial Insemination AI presents a promising way of improving the herd quality by bringing in desired genes. AI has enormous potential to reduce poverty in Tanzania and can play a significant role in the livelihoods of the most vulnerable population living in rural areas. The project has distributed 1750 goats and 167 cows of improved breeds in different coastal regions of Tanzania, which is helping people to get threefold increased market value for their products.
Case Study of Matuwa Ally - a journey to prosperity
Matuwa Ally 47, was among the poorest farmers, hard hit by shortage of rains. His crops production reduced to 50% and he had no reliant source of income to feed his family of 5 people. He was recommended by the Village Council to receive an improved Holstein breed cow accompanied by livestock management training. Over the past three years, the cow has reproduced three times providing him with surplus of milk sufficient to feed his entire family. Thank to $5 which he is earning daily, his family is able to afford all the basic life necessities. He has been capable of providing his children with a house and sustainable resilience to future shocks. “Every time my cows produce breed, I can see my savings growing like never before, people are offering me a price 3 time greater than that for local cows”. Following Ally’s footsteps, other people have started purchasing improved breed cows.
Tanzania: Sustainable Livelihoods
Tanzania: Bee Keeping
