Women told "loans are not gifts"
By Daniel Sabuni
Ministry of Community Development, Women and Children in
collaboration with the Arusha Municipal Council have disbursed loans valued at
more than Shs. 74 million to 61 women groups in a bid to alleviate poverty among
women in the Municipality.
Mr. Samson Sarakikya, Municipal Development Officer revealed
this recently during a meeting of the Committee for Women Development Fund.
In the meeting chaired by the Acting Municipal Director, Dr.
Job Laizer, Mr. Sarakikya said that the loans had been disbursed between 1998
and 2002. However, he said that the loan recovery speed is somehow worrying
since more than Shs. 26 million had not been recovered.
Mr. Sarakikya also warned that a loan is not meant as a gift
granted to borrowers and therefore urged all those with outstanding loans to
repay them so that others could benefit from the programme.
The Community Development Officer said that in 2003 Arusha
Municipal Council had contributed Shs. 7 million in the amount of Shs. 19.5
million that was disbursed to 14 groups.
Mr. Sarakikya added that this year the Council received about
75 loan applications from various women groups and among those, only 20
applications have been approved. About Shs. 20 million has been disbursed.
He said of the total amount disbursed, the Ministry offered
Shs. 8 million, the Municipal Council Shs. 7 million, while Shs. 5 million was
drawn from the revolving fund.
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