Angelika Kitime’s Journey to Economic Independence

A Turning Point: CARE Tanzania’s Training Program

In 2023, Angelika participated in CARE Tanzania’s Scaling-Up Farmer and Field Business School (SU-FFBS) trainings, which provided her with valuable skills in entrepreneurship, savings and loans through VSLA groups, climate-smart agriculture, home gardening, and value addition for improved nutrition and income.

“I lacked knowledge in creating soybean flour, oil, spices, meat, and milk. After attending value addition and entrepreneurship training from CARE Tanzania, I now produce soybean products and supply them to villages and regions like Mbeya and Morogoro” Anjelika admits.

Agricultural and Financial Growth

Her yield in 2023 within three acres of land yielded 840kg valued at TZS 1,260,000 (US$ 478.80) per year. However, after adopting climate-smart agricultural techniques in 2024, she cultivated only 1.05 acres (Half of what she did in 2023) and still harvested 840kg due to improved farming methods, with a total revenue of TZS 1,680,000 (US $712.32).

With increased income, Angelika has:

• Constructed a safer house for her family.
• Owns eight goats that provide milk to her house.
• Pays TZS 600,000 (US$ 440) for her children’s school fees per year.
• Established a mobile money transaction point and generates TZS 14,000 to TZS 19,000 (US$ 5.53 – US$7.41) per day.
• Learned value addition. Now she processes and sells soybean products such as soybean tea, flour, oil, and milk that makes an additional income.

Entrepreneurship and Leadership Success

Angelika’s entrepreneurial journey expanded beyond farming. With business skills from the program, she increased her poultry stock from 5 to 40 chicken, ensuring both nutrition and additional income. Her monthly earnings rose from TZS 3,000 (US $1.14) to TZS 210,000 (US$ 79.79), enabling her to save in three different VSLA groups:

• Tushirikane Group: TZS 35,000 (US$ 13.82) per week
• Tutange Group: TZS 22,000 (US$ 8.58) per week
• Tupendane Group: TZS 5,000 (US$ 2.00) per week

Using her savings, Angelika purchased three additional acres of farmland and diversified her crops, growing maize, beans, sunflower, and soybeans to further strengthen her income.

Health, Community Service, and Women’s Empowerment

Beyond economic success, Angelika found personal healing and a new purpose. She used soybeans for massage therapy to relieve chronic back pain and incorporated them into her meals to manage her ulcers. Her improved well-being and knowledge led her to become a Community Health Worker (CHW) in her village. She now provides trainings on nutrition, sanitation, and home gardening, ensuring that pregnant and breastfeeding women benefit from soybean products to enhance their health.

“I used to struggle with public speaking and believed that successful women were often dishonest. But after leadership training from CARE Tanzania, I gained the confidence to stand for a local position. Now, I proudly serve as the Women’s Secretary in my community,” Angelika shares.

Angelika’s journey from hardship to empowerment is a testament to the impact of skills training, resilience, and community support. Through CARE Tanzania’s Scale Up Farmers Field and Business School project, she has not only secured a better future for her family but also emerged as a leader and role model in her village and other villages.

Note: The exchange rate used is 1 US Dollar = 2532.81TZS