We provide grants and interest-free loans to children, young people and their families in order for them to respond to emergencies and crises as well as more long-term investment in education and small business development.
Since the poorest families lack access to finance and savings, our Emergency Fund has become an essential resource to provide relief and alleviate poverty. Grants and loans are sometimes very small, starting from just Tsh. 25,000 (£8.50/$11) for specialist textbooks or travel to visit a dying parent up to a maximum of Tsh. 5,000,000 (£1,700/$2,200) to invest in a business or pay for medical costs.
Examples of previous grants and interest-free loans include:
- A loan of Tsh. 1,000,000 to buy a motorcycle for a young person who wanted to become a boda boda (motorcycle taxi) driver.
- A grant of Tsh. 5,000,000 for a 19-year-old boy who required a heart operation.
- A grant of Tsh. 300,000 towards the funeral costs of a young Social Worker in Moshi Town.
- A grant of Tsh. 230,000 towards a Spanish language course at college for a student tour-guide who wanted to improve his employment prospects.
- A grant of Tsh. 140,000 to buy a mattress for a girl whose bedroom was engulfed by a fire, destroying all her possessions.
- A grant of Tsh. 240,000 towards rental costs for a single mother with 2 girls, who were facing eviction.
- A loan of Tsh. 2,200,000 for a young entrepreneur to open an arcade shop where children and young people pay to play console games.
