Iringa Hope

Iringa Hope is a US, non-profit corporation dedicated to raising the standard of living in rural Tanzania through small loans to farmers and shopkeepers. Rural Tanzania is one of the poorest regions in the world.

Villagers are generally subsistence farmers or small shop keepers.  There is no electricity. Water has to be carried to each house from a nearby stream or well. the soil is poor. Farm work is all manual labor done with a few crude tools.

The founders of Iringa Hope got started in 2005 when the Lutheran Diocesse in Iringa expressed an interest in micro-finance. They started organizing Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies, SACCOS, in rural villages. Iringa Hope provided the capital to get each SACCOS started.

Each SACCOS has between 40 and 70 members. They elect the officers who in turn approve small loans to members and manage the SACCOS. The Loans are between $150 and $300.

Training and oversight is handled through the Micro-Finance Institute at the University of Iringa in Iringa. Close coordination with the Agricultural Institute at Tumaini helps villages improve their farming practices. and have a term of 3 to 6 months.  The loans are for income producing activities.They are typically used to buy seed and fertilizer or to purchase goods for resale in small shops.