Tugwashane 0707 Group

Tugwashane 0707 is a group of five women entrepreneurs from Southern Province, Zambia. One member is single, while the other four are married. Together, they care for forty-nine children: forty-one are attending school and eight are yet to start school. The women run fish and tomato selling businesses, which supply nutritious food to their communities and generate income to support their households.

Rotina is a forty-seven year old single mother of six children and group member who also cares for one orphan. She works hard to provide food, education, healthcare and other essential needs for the children under her care.

For the past six years, Rotina has run a market stall selling kapenta small fish, a popular local food. Her business provides an important source of income for her household.

Rotina has requested a loan to purchase more kapenta small fish and increase her stock. The other group members intend to order more stock from their loan share as well.

The Microloan Foundation, Lendwithcare's local partner in Zambia employs a unique 'centre' model for lending to female entrepreneurs. A centre comprises several sub-groups which share the same name as the centre. As such, you may have seen similarly named group loans from Zambia all belonging to the same centre. In this system, each woman is individually responsible for repaying her loan, but the group offers mutual support by assuming overall responsibility together.