Inside her home in Chake Chake Pemba Island, 26-year-old Riziki Hamadi Omar sews a pillowcase for her client. This is one of the frequent orders that she receives daily. Passionate about her trade, and with growing demand for her services, Riziki made a decision to train other youth in her community how to sew. This commitment however, required investing in extra sewing machines which she didn’t have.
Fortunately, Riziki heard about the Youth Savings and Lending Association (YSLA) organized by Feed the Future Tanzania Advancing Youth program in her community. Joining the association would allow her to borrow money to help expand her business and allow her to train more youth.
“I didn't know much about saving money until I was introduced to Umoja Wetu Savings and Lending group through Advancing Youth. Being a member of the Youth Saving and Lending Association (YSLA) has enabled me to borrow TZS 300,000 ($120) to buy an additional sewing machine to add to the two that I had. The extra sewing machine means I can teach more students and I can also have more customers”.
While many women in her community have invested in building homes, Riziki wanted to use the money to grow her business first and acquire more physical assets for her business. As a result, Riziki is confident her investment will lead to greater income over time, enable her to improve her life, and ultimately invest in building a home thereafter.
“I charge TZS 50,000 to teach student. This fee is for one month and they come for two hours, three times a week. Prior to the loan, I made TZS100,000 ($40) from two students, but since then, I can now make TZS 150,000 ($60)”.
Riziki is now able to produce more clothing through her sewing school with the assistance of her students. Her clients can choose from a variety of embroidered bed sheets, table clothes and children’s clothes.
“When I had two sewing machines, I could make TZS 300,000 ($120) per month, but now I make more than TZS 600,000 ($ 260) in profit, thanks to Advancing Youth’s training”.
USAID/Tanzania