Women and youth need financial assistance with a wide range of options that are convenient, flexible, and reasonably priced. Their varying socio-economic circumstances require different financial products, including savings mobilization, short, medium and long term loans, cash transfers, and insurance.

When women and youth have access to sustainable financial services they are able to increase their income, build assets, and reduce their vulnerability to external shocks. Access to finance also allows poor households to move from everyday survival mode to planning for the future, investing in better nutrition, improving living conditions and asset ownership. Women who have better access to sustainable financial services are also able to improve their children’s health and education.

However, it is difficult for the economically marginalized to access sustainable financial services. To bridge this gap, TGT runs two revolving funds that provide financial support to women and youth for business expansion with the provision that, repayments of the loans are put back into the fund to support even more marginalized women and youth. Apart from loans, the funds also provide training on financial management. The two revolving funds are:

The Belkin Revolving Fund

The Belkin Revolving Fund was established in 2013 to address the needs of women and youth who are beneficiaries of the Zanzibar Horticulture Programme. The objective of the credit scheme is to strengthen the economic viability of women micro-businesses and income generation activities through provision of training on Good Agricultural Practises (GAP) and linking them to credit to help them expand their businesses.

The Belkin Fund carries a family name; Mr. Belkin was a close friend to the late Ibrahim Seushi and Mr. Laurence Cockcroft (both of whom were founders of TGT). Mr. Belkin left a will which instructed family, friends and well-wishers to donate money to TGT rather than sending flowers during his funeral. Funds collected were given to TGT to establish a revolving fund for women and youth in Zanzibar.

The TGT Revolving Fund

The TGT Revolving Fund started its operations in April 2017 with initial capital from the Ibrahim Sheusi Fund and Comic Relief. The fund was established to support women entrepreneurs in Dar es Salaam and the Coastal Region who graduated from our Tanzania Virtual Business Incubator Programme and needed financial support. The fund gives them access to loans for business expansion and general product enhancement that leads to profitability.