SEGA Graduate Businees Fund Project
SAWA collaborates with Secondary Education for Girls' Advancement (SEGA) from 2022 to 2026 to promote economic empowerment for SEGA graduates through a financial loaning scheme. To date, 134 graduates have benefited from the initiative, receiving interest-free loans that support them in establishing and expanding small businesses. The beneficiaries are spread across Mvomero District Council, Morogoro Municipal Council, and Morogoro District Council, contributing to improved livelihoods, increased income generation, and greater economic independence among young women. To learn more about SEGA and its work, visit SEGA Official Website.
SEGA Graduates Fund Project Planned Activities
SEGA Graduates Business Fund Program is being implemented since 2022 to support SEGA School Graduates and Modern Girl Graduates with additional entrepreneurship training and small loans to ensure the profitability and self-sustainability of their various business enterprises. Tanzanian girls face numerous financial and social challenges, including sexual harassment and exploitation at all levels of society. 30,000 girls drop out of secondary school per year in Tanzania, with 5,500 dropping out due to pregnancy (World Bank). For girls who manage to reach early adulthood without becoming pregnant or married (31% of girls marry before the age of 18, according to Girls Not Brides), their life chances are better. However, finding jobs in the formal job market is very tough-there are few jobs and they often can only be acquired through sexual favors
Many young women start their own income-generating activities as a solution to lack of access to jobs in the formal sector. Self-employment through operating one's own business provides more autonomy and may reduce incidences of exploitation. However, many young women lack access to credit, business planning and management skills to be able to select businesses in line with the market, develop their enterprises, track their progress, and earn a profit. SEGA's Girls' Business Development Program builds upon the learnings and successes of SEGA's established programs and is designed in direct response to feedback and suggestions provided by SEGA's graduates
Partnership to Project Implementation
SEGA is partnering with SAWA Wanawake Tanzania, a locally-led education and microfinance organization, to implement and deliver this program. SAWA has 20 years of experience working on microfinance initiatives that benefit vulnerable women and children
SEGA is a non-profit Tanzanian-based organization registered in 2007 as a Company Limited by Guarantee and in 2020 its status was changed to Non-Government Organization (NGO) with head office in Mkundi area, Morogoro Municipal, mandated to operate Tanzania mainland with registration No. 00NGO/R2/000232 under Non-Governmental Organizations Act, 2002. SEGA was established with the aim to build and run a quality secondary girl's boarding school which fosters the development of strong values, healthy self-esteem and independent thinking skills among its students. Also operate Modern Girl (Msichana wa Kisasa/MK) program focusing on disadvantaged young girls by providing education, life-preparation knowledge, and entrepreneurial skill development to guide them in tackling the many barriers they face.
Sawa Wanawake Tanzania (SAWA), was formally known as Safina Women's Association which was a non-governmental organization that was initially registered under the civil society ordinance of 1954 rule no 5 with registration no SO 9351 in 1998. However in 2019 SAWA underwent re registration process following government compulsory registration of NGOs in which SAWA was granted a new name of Sawa Wanawake Tanzania and a certificate of registration number 00NGO/R/0221.
SAWA is committed to achieving its vision through provision of various interventions such as advocacy, training, and awareness rising among children, women and girls, and community members through collaboration with local and central government to improve their wellbeing. SAWA also strives to improve early childhood development, basic education as well as community based child protection systems.
The training methodology was participatory enabling all participants contribute in the whole course of training from concepts of Business plan and Management to preparation of business plan. However, the important knowledge and concepts on Credit Education and Business Analysis was given as an input from the facilitator.
Trained SEGA Graduates Fund beneficiaries with facilitators and SAWA officials
The training contributed much to the successes of the project. Beneficiaries managed to develop business plan which was one of the key criteria if they have to be selected into the next stage of being granted the fund. The activity enhanced participants develop standards that can qualify them access financial support to advance their businesses. Other attributes participants developed as trainees included fostering entrepreneurship skills and spirit, promoting a sense of togetherness among SEGA Graduates and Modern Girls Group as a means to face challenges that affects their entrepreneur development and success, introduce participants in a world of professional entrepreneurship and business enterprise, promote volunteering activities in doing deeds in the community, and to promote entrepreneurship skills to girls and women
"The Training supported me from re-planning my business."-Prisca Kyando; Training
During this first phase a total of 11 SEGA graduates and 14 Msichan wa Kisasa were given a total of TZS 15,300,000/= grant to develop their business. It was expected that the training will provide beneficiaries with guidance on entrepreneurship, business development, business planning and monitoring and evaluation skills, together with the provision a focus to seek to ensure the profitability and selfsustainability of their various business enterprises.
Salome Vedasto: "Nimeongeza nguvu kwenye biashara ya mama lishe baada ya kupata mkopo".
A series of monthly monitoring visits to trained SEGA Graduates Beneficiaries were planned with the aim to make a follow-up on, for the sake of monitoring developments achieved by beneficiaries. The first monitoring visit done in May 2022 had special importance as it aimed at evaluating trainees' application of training knowledge and selection of successful applicants. The activity targeted all trainee Sega Graduates and Modern Girls from Morogoro Municipal, Mvomero, and Morogoro rural district who have been trained on Business Plan and Management with the aim to impact the 30 SEGA graduates and Modern Girl (Msichana wa Kisasa) from the area who have started or in the initial stage of doing business or income generating activities.
Cecilia Nicas: "My tailoring business grows day after day following to the advice I am receiving monthly".
Businesses in stationed category can easily be traced of its development. Business in a mobile category have reported to access more customers. Others have chosen to conduct their businesses in both mobile and stationed to relish the benefit of both operations. Businesses may change into either categories depending on the wishes of the owner, seasons of the year, and availability of customers in a certain period of time
One of the fast growing stationed business run by Prisca Michele who have received the loan during the first phase of the first cohort.
The main discussion lying was overcoming loss in the business that seemed to be a challenge facing them, leading to failure servicing their loan timely and slow pace of capital and business expansion. Training participants were insisted to develop money discipline that means they have to be very careful in terms of expenditures especially on matters not directly related to the expansion of their businesses. They were told to spend more time in their business activities including opening the business earlier and closing late to have more customers. They should avoid business breaking after they have open them in a day. Good business record keeping should be adhered.
Business records as are kept by one of the beneficiaries
