Utete, TZ – KCM assists volunteer’s families to earn income from sesame and invest in businesses – 30 Apr 2022

KCM is assisting volunteer’s families with growing 8.5 acres of sesame by assisting with knowledge, farming tools and sprays to improve their commercial harvest.

Sesame plants are currently flowering and the volunteers expect a minimum 2,300 Kgs total harvest. Each kg will be sold 1,800 TZS / US$0.80 to the government with a net income of 2,440,000 TZS / US$ 1,065. This is possible because the volunteers are receiving loans from the Volunteer Family (VF) village community banking association (VICOBA), which they will repay after the harvest. Also, by grouping together it will cost less to sell to the reliable government market.

KCM is providing the spray pump, but may need to purchase another one because of high demand for the pump. Even with the government price, small farmers make less money than larger growers because they sell their sesame via middle men traders, pay higher transport costs and receive late payments for their sesame.

KCM wants to assist the families earn sesame income to invest in entrepreneurial activities, improve homes, and strengthen relationships. KCM wants to develop a solidarity with their volunteers, so that they continue to assist KCM to become a self-sufficient organization that can assist the community and children to build their future lives.

Examples of entrepreneurial activities KCM wants to assist with include:

Dickson is expecting to use capital from sesame sales to invest in a retail and wholesale shop. This will help improve his delivery business by delivering to families, local institutions and other local shops.

Tatu wants to invest her sesame income in stock for selling women’s and children’s shoes.

Hemedi is hoping to combine sesame income with a Rent-to-earn motor bike loan to start a passenger delivery business.

Omari is planning to invest sesame income to start selling petrol from his village store.

Mariam will invest her sesame income in a women’s clothes business.