Tanzanian entrepreneur wins $100,000 for rural empowerment

Iringa. A company named Vikapu Bomba based in Iringa has bagged a $100,000 (Sh243 million) grant from the US African Development Foundation (USADF) after a competitive race with over 250 applicants in the country.

The company, which works and supports over 300 women basket weavers in rural Iringa to sell their products, won the grant a few months ago after the Founder and Managing Director, Catherine Shembilu, had taken a leap of faith and submitted her application.

Speaking at the grant award ceremony that took place in Gangilonga Ward, Kilolo District Commissioner Peres Magiri said the money will help create more employment opportunities for women in Iringa and other regions across the country.

"This grant will change lives through the positive impact it is envisioned to make across the country. The women working with Vikapu Bomba will not only be able to have a stable income, but also they will be able to support their families and themselves through that income," he said.

According to USADF Country Programme Coordinator Gilliard Nkini, the cash to Vikapu Bomba is part of the women empowerment grant through one of the USADF's programmes dubbed Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE).

"Among the things we were focusing on before selecting Vikapu Bomba as one of the candidates for the grant is that the organization has to be 100 percent African owned and it also has to have a direct impact on upcountry communities in which it works with," he said.

For her part, ADC Tanzania Programme Manager Eileen Mwakisese said, “this grant is expected to increase income to the over 300 weavers working for Vikapu Bomba.

"We also envision the advancement of the quality of products made by Vikapu Bomba because that will lead them to penetrate untapped markets across the world," she explained.

Ms Shembilu, who works for Vikapu Bomba, detailed that the grant would solve several challenges hindering the growth of Vikapu Bomba for a while.

"I was overjoyed when I was informed that Vikapu Bomba had won this grant because I immediately thought of how it would change the lives of the weavers and the organization in its entirety,” she revealed.

Ms Shembilu further said, “The more I work the more I learn that a lot of women would like to get the opportunity to join hands with Vikapu Bomba as weavers. With this grant, we will be able to bring on board more women across Tanzania and train the weavers we are currently working with to meet international quality standards,"

Ms Shembilu’s journey began in 2011 after one of her friends named Liisa, a doctor who was at the time based in Finland, asked her to buy gifts for Liisa’s patients.

As a gesture, she decided to buy baskets and ended up starting a business. She began working with six women and the number grew to over 300 in different villages in Iringa.

Her products have been sold in over 20 in the world including the US, the United Kingdom, Canada, Finland, South Africa, Australia and Denmark.