Kisinza Mzee Ibrahim is a 48-year-old single mother of two and a resident of Kalalangabo village in western Tanzania. She is also a volunteer community health worker (CHW) with LCWT. Like many in Kalalangabo, Ibrahim is a fishmonger at the village market. Fish sellers often struggle during low catch seasons and face financial difficulties due to lack of sustainable financing mechanisms for their businesses.
In Western Tanzania, JGI has been using microcredit COCOBA (community conservation banking) groups for several years to support community credit systems that invest in sustainable alternative livelihoods. This program is vital for people like Ibrahim to diversify their livelihoods, investing in opportunities that are less harmful to ecosystems while increasing their income. With the help of a JGI-initiated COCOBA group, Ibrahim was able to save TZS 2,500 on a weekly basis and receive business training from LCWT. Before long, she repaid a loan and expanded her capital to TZS 300,000. Other villagers look to Ibrahim as a strong, capable woman who built her own house while supporting her child’s education.
In addition to the COCOBA group, she attributes her success to family planning. As a CHW, she is a trusted source in the village for family planning education, counselling, services, and referrals. She is often called on to respond to misconceptions and myths about family planning and is a valuable mentor for young women in the community. With firsthand experience of the benefits of business investment and family planning, she shares her story and success, inspiring others along the way.
