Empower Mothers in Tanzania with Microloans

Did you know that 90% of Tanzanians live on less than $2 a day? We can do something about that.

Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. Approximately 90% of Tanzanians live on less than $2 per day and 60% live on less than $1 per day. However, Tanzania is also a place thriving with potential. One out of every three Tanzanians is self-employed. Less than 5% of the population has access to formal banking institutions. Recognizing this great need, Opportunity is building a bank for people living in poverty. Since 2008, Opportunity has doubled its outreach in Tanzania and is in the process of converting into a deposit-taking institution. This is progress, but there is much work still to be done.

By contributing to this initiative, you are helping to expand access to financial services so that more people in Tanzania will be able to secure their savings, borrow capital for their businesses, receive training to develop professional and life skills, and purchase insurance to protect their assets. With your help, we can empower people to work their way out of chronic poverty, to transform their lives, their children's futures and their communities.

Take for example, Lisa Msuya, a model of transformation in her community. She came to Opportunity Tanzania with a dream of opening a women’s clothing store. With her first loan of  $115 and valuable business skills training, she opened a small boutique. But, Lisa didn’t stop there. Her boutique has been well received by the community and she has taken out additional loans to start a men’s clothing shop, a barber shop and a dry cleaners. Today, Lisa is the successful operator of four businesses in Dar es Salaam and she employs three workers from her community, where work is not easy to come by. “I am grateful that I can send my son to school and proud of the fine example I am setting for him.”