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“Sowing Together, Saving Together”: How Umoja wa Mtama Senene is Building Resilience Through VSLAs”

Members of Umoja wa Mtama Senene VSLA group right after a VSLA meeting. Photo: Edward Charles | CARE

Members of Umoja wa Mtama Senene VSLA group right after a VSLA meeting. Photo: Edward Charles | CARE

We believe saving together now means harvesting more later

Group member

Umoja wa Mtama Senene

In Senene village, Mkalama District—a place marked by low rainfall and unreliable growing seasons—farmers have long struggled to break the cycle of poor harvests, low income, and limited access to credit. But one group is proving that with unity, savings, and vision, transformation is possible.

Umoja wa Mtama Senene began in July 2024 as a farming group focused on sorghum, a drought-resilient crop introduced through CARE Tanzania’s Smallholder Sorghum Farmers’ Project supported by DIAGEO. Recognizing the recurring challenge of capital during the planting season, the group took a bold step: in May 2025, with the support of CARE staff, Allen Kaijanangoma and Christa Chrizostom, they formally transitioned into a Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) to strengthen their financial capacity and secure their farming future.

Farming Challenges That Sparked Change

Although sorghum thrives in dry regions like Mkalama, the cost of input remains a significant hurdle for smallholder farmers. PAC-501 seeds—the group’s preferred variety—cost between TZS 15,000 (US$ 5.7) and TZS 18,000 (US$ 6.9) per pack, and each acre requires at least three packs. Add fertilizer and labor, and farming one acre quickly demands over TZS 60,000 (US$ 22.8).

“Some of us wanted to plant but couldn’t afford even the seeds,” shares a group member. “We needed a solution that didn’t come with huge interest rates.”

Last season, only 10 out of the 34 VSLA members had managed to plant sorghum—largely due to limited capital and late rains. Others, though willing, had to sit the season out.

Members of the group holding the group’s VSLA box. © Edward Charles | CARE

VSLA: A Financial Lifeline, Designed by and for Farmers

The VSLA model offered a pathway out of that vulnerability. Members now contribute weekly:

  • TZS 2,000 (US$ 0.76) in shares
  • TZS 1,500 (US$ 0.57) to an agri-fund, specifically for farming inputs
  • TZS 500 (US$ 0.19) to a social fund for emergencies.

With a low 10% return rate within three months, these internal loans are far more accessible than local financial institutions, which charge up to 20% monthly plus additional costs—earning them the nickname “Kausha Damu” (“blood-drainers”) among locals.

“The banks and other financial institutions made us fear loans. Interests are way high. Now, with our group, we can get affordable loans,” says another member.

In just two weeks since being formed, the group has saved TZS 235,000 (US$ 90) in saving account, and TZS 54,000 (US$ 20.6) in agri-fund and TZS 40,000 (US$5) in social fun

We want this group to grow beyond farming

says Lissu,

The groups secretary

Small Steps, Bold Plans

Though formed just months before the 2025 planting season, Umoja wa Mtama Senene is already seeing benefits: members are building discipline around saving, learning how to access loans without fear, and planning for the next season. The agri-fund is key to ensuring members can buy seeds and fertilizers before the planting season begins.

Looking ahead, the group plans to use savings to invest in collective beekeeping, capitalizing on the area’s abundance of bees.

“We want this group to grow beyond farming,” says Lissu, the groups secretary. “Beekeeping can give us another income stream, and we’ll build it together.”