HIV Grants Programme
Here are the stories of some of the many recipients of Mondo’s grants and loans programme in the suburbs of Arusha and Moshi in Tanzania. Their stories are a poignant reminder of why the grants and loans programme is so important for women in the region. We really can’t tell it any better than the women on the ground, so do take the chance to get to really know our grant and loan recipients.
If you’ve enjoyed reading our case histories, and want to make a difference to the lives of more women on the ground in Tanzania, click here to read about how a very small amount of sponsorship can go a very long way.
Set one mile back from the Arusha Moshi highway, in a quarter acre of scrub land, is Hilda and her family. In her Shamba (Swahili for a small farm)...
Anna is one of the longer standing beneficiaries of the Grants & Loans scheme, having received an initial grant in 2006. The wood cutting business she ran then, evolved...
Safine has a stall in the bustling market at Boma Ng’ombe. She sells carrots, buying in bulk from the wholesalers and selling to regular customers. Her sister, Evaline, helps...
Lucy was a very happy woman when we visited her in February, and so was her sow! Eight piglets had just been born and this meant that Lucy would...
Grace has been selling bananas at several markets in Ngaramtoni for five years. She has seen her business grow and is now helped by her sister, Mary. The business...
Glory has five children and a younger sister, all of whom are dependent on her income from the business. She started with a small grant in 2011 and has...
Zulea runs her vegetable business in the Ngaramtoni market on the slopes of Mount Meru. Although having to travel an hour each way from her home, Zulea prefers this...
Judith launched her salon a year ago with a Mondo grant. She recently took out a loan to buy an additional hairdryer and has almost paid this back. Whilst...
Nia is a rarity in the Moshi region, a lady who runs a brick making business! Although this is traditionally a male business, she said, she saw how...
Janeth was identified to the Mondo team through the local health clinic, where she receives her HIV treatment. She is supporting 4 children and one grandchild. During the training...
Emida attended the Mondo business training as next of kin for her sister Anne. Anne started an egg and chips café. The business did well, but Anne sadly passed...
Elizabeth, 43, struggled to send her four children to school and feeding them regular meals was a challenge before she received the grant. In 2012 she received a grant...
Sinyati is a 45 year old mother of 6. She was given a grant to buy kerosene, which she sells outside the market in Ngaramtoni. She was sometimes chased...
Agnes is 47 has 3 children. Her daughter is very ill with a kidney problem, so Agnes cares for her two small grandchildren. Agnes received her grant in March...
Joyce is just 16 and she and her grandmother Rose (59) have worked together to improve their lives. Joyce was given a grant in May 2011. She used this...
Vumilia has 3 children, one of whom is disabled, and was struggling to send them to school. She had learnt tailoring as a teenager and decided to use...
Mariam received a grant of 300,000 Tz Shillings (£120) in May 2016, in order to buy a calf. Mariam’s husband died several years ago and her life has been...
Elizabeth received a grant of 200,000 Tz Shs to buy stock to sell plastic shoes. In June 2016 we went to visit Elizabeth who had just started selling a...
Christine received a grant of 200,000 Tz shillings (around £80) in May 2016. She has recently requested a loan to expand her business. It’s already half the way through...
Salma is just 18 years old and, having lost both her parents, she lives with her aunt in Boma Ng’ombe. In April 2012 she received a grant of...
Before Veronica became ill, she and her husband were working; she worked buying and selling maize on the road and he was a part-time mason on the construction...
The morning started with a trip to see Sharon who was ready to show us how she makes her small cakes. Sharon has taken on the work of...
Rachel has an excellent site for her hair dresser’s shop, it is just off the Old Moshi Road, a main road into Usa River. The salon is just...
Across the wooden bridge, along the narrow path, shaded by trees, that follows a small stream, past a banda (wooden shed) selling local beer we arrive at Mwanahamisi...
It is early afternoon when we start our tour of the market. We find Catherine is cleaning fish heads and bodies when we come to see her, a...
Mary is 39 years old, a widow with three children who lives in a rented room. She is HIV positive. She received her grant of 200,000 Shs in...
Vicky is a widow with 4 children. She received a grant from Mondo in 2011 and has gradually built up a business selling maize in the local market....
Things have not always been easy for Amina. She left school at 14 and did casual work as a house girl and then she started selling at the...
Christina received a grant from Mondo in September 2015. She has now been able to take a low interest loan of 300,000 TZ Shs in order to expand...