Amani

Amani is a small but very close-knit group of six women, all from the Sombetini neighbourhood of Arusha. The group was launched in 2014, when the women started with what is known as “playing kibati”1).

In the meantime, the group has been able to start developing a joint group business, named “Amani Tukio Kubwa”, which means “big events”. They started with renting out chairs and other equipment for events and festivities, such as weddings, funerals, and communions. In the last year, they have – coached by one of the volunteers of Wanawake Tunaweza – further developed their business to become a full fledged events agency. Their assets are mostly self-funded from their business profits and their group savings. 

In addition, each of the women has her own, individual business, ranging from making cakes for festivities to farming.

*1) Kibati is a form of trust fund, which is common across sub-Saharan Africa. Groups of women come together, and they all contribute a specific amount of money to a fund over time. Typically, they start to contribute money at the beginning of the year and their money is paid back at the end of the year. Usually every week, the fund is passed on from one member to another member, and each woman gets a chance to use the collected funds when it is her turn, by taking a loan at a small interest rate. The maximum amount for a loan is decided by the group. The loan can be used for anything the women need, e.g., to build a house, to start a business, to send their kids to school, or simply to save the money for later use.