AGANO Malagosi VSLA Group was formed in 2011 by 12 members (8 women and 4 men) in Malagosi Village. Initially motivated by the government’s 4-4-2 loan scheme (The 10% Local Government Authorities loans to Women Youth and Persons with Disabilities), the group struggled due to weak governance and limited financial management skills. For several years, members saved and lent money internally; however, the group lacked the formal structure required to access credit.
In 2017, through CARE Tanzania’s Kukua ni Kujifunza project, the group was restructured and registered with the district council. Members received training on savings, shares, lending, money management, and group governance—knowledge that fundamentally changed how they managed their finances and operations.
The Challenge
Most group members are farmers who depend on farming hence producing soybean, maize, sunflower, vegetables, and other crops. After each harvest season, crops were informally stored at the home of one group member, while additional sacks were kept in individual households. This arrangement created several challenges, including:
- Post-harvest losses due to poor storage conditions and weather exposure
- Limited bargaining power, forcing farmers to sell to middlemen at low prices
- Lack of weighing equipment
- Accumulation of crop sacks in homes, attracting insects and rodents
- Inability to safely apply pesticides in living spaces due to health risks
Although the VSLA continued to provide loans that supported members to sustain needs such school fees for the kids, farm improvements, and running small businesses, the absence of a proper storage facility remained a major constraint that needed a solution.
