Ephrazia Ludovick is a 47-year-old widow who has four children. She is among the former members of BUWEA (Bukoba Women’s Empowerment Association) from Kitwe Village. After the death of her husband eleven years ago, she faced many hardships for herself and her children. At that time, Ephrazia had one pig that she received as a donation from BUWEA. She decided to take a small loan of TSH 40,000/= ($20 USD) and start a small business by selling vegetables to her surrounding neighbors. She was able to pay back her loan after four months! Her business was successful so she expanded the project. Ephrazia took a second loan of TSH 100,000/= ($50 USD) to continue her business and to start keeping poultry. The projects were able to support her and her children for their basic needs along with paying back the loan month by month. In addition, her children were able to proceed with their education.
After returning the second loan within six months, Ephrazia took a higher loan of TSH 300,000/= ($150 USD). She opened a small shop for domestic needs and began growing bananas, which are very marketable. Again, she increased the amount of her next loan to TSH 600,000/= ($300 USD). Currently Ephrazia runs a shop for domestic needs and clothing. The bananas from her farm and the pig project generate a good income for her and her family. These projects have enabled her to pay college fees for two of her children! Her third child is preparing to join high school and the youngest is in standard five (higher primary school).
Ephrazia is so thankful for the impact BUWEA has had on her family saying, “I express my gratitude to the BUWEA for uplifting me from a very vulnerable stage to a better state in life. After my beloved husband’s death, I seemed to be at the end of my life. Now, my children are doing well with their studies, and I have many successful projects because of BUWEA.”