Utete, TZ – KCM Team Member Gets Loan for New Home – 28 Feb 2015

Dickson Taji, 24, is a member of the KCM Garden Shop team.  He is in charge of the compost and natural foliar spray production as well as assisting the Operations Manager, Yusa Mbonde, with implementing new gardens.  Dickson is a proud father of two children, Adam Taji 4 years old and a new born baby boy, Michael Taji.  After working hard for a year and a half with the KCM team, he applied for a loan to build a home for his young family.

His loan request was approved and he makes loan repayments via deductions from his pay. The automatic deduction reduces repayment risk for Better Lives and stress for Dixon.  With the loan, Dickson is building a two bed room house using local materials and some cement.  The home is nearly finished with only the windows and finishing work left to do.

Dickson’s wife Fatuma, 20, expressed her gratitude for the loan opportunity while rocking baby Michael on her lap. She is excited for the opportunity to raise her children in a safe home that will not need constant maintenance.

The Taji’s started an Organic FAITH vegetable garden in order to qualify for the loan and they enjoy eating vegetables straight from their garden. Their favorite meal is ugali (boiled flour), Amaranth leaves, and chicken. Chicken is only served a couple of times per year on very special occasions!

Dickson Taji is the son of the KCM team’s record keeper, Frank Taji.  Like his father, Dickson is quick to smile and works hard at improving his family’s future.  Before joining the KCM team, he trained technical college as a mechanic but found very few opportunities for mechanics in the area.  He gained employment at the Father Lamburn Memorial Guesthouse in Kindwitwi as a night guard, which allowed him to earn enough money to rent a small “mud” hut with his wife.  When the KCM team was started in 2013, he was eager to be involved.  Like most people in the Utete area, Dickson already had a farming background growing corn and rice.  His youthful energy has been put to good use in starting 38 family gardens during his time with the KCM Garden Shop.

Living in rural Tanzania, the Taji’s face many challenges in their daily lives. Food security, clean drinking water, and disease are three of the most pressing problems across Tanzania.  The family was able to improve food security with their garden and gain access to clean drinking water by saving for a water connection. However, malaria is still a problem. Even when using a mosquito net, people expect to get malaria a few times per year. The family is hoping their improved home will reduce the number of mosquitos that enter.

Earning a salary with the KCM team will allow the Taji’s to plan for their children’s future education. Their children are still very young, but Dickson and Fatuma hope that when their children grow up healthy and educated, they will be able to get a good profession like a doctor or lawyer.