Elizabeth is Maria's older sister. She was born in 1981 and lives very close to Maria. When we first met her, she had a stall selling fruit. Her husband was a heavy smoker and drinker and died of liver failure in 2013. Since then, she has lived alone with her daughter, Jennifer. Jennifer was born in February 2012 and attended first grade at the state primary school. It seemed as though Elizabeth was able to provide for herself and Jennifer, but since she also had to look after Maria and her children, she too had difficulties. Our strategy was to support Maria, and especially her children, in order to relieve Elizabeth of some of the burden. We also wanted to cover Jennifer's school fees and fortunately found a sponsor to pay for her school supplies: Mario. We often asked the children what they wanted to be when they grew up. Jennifer wanted to be an English teacher.
Timeline & Updates
2019
Elizabeth's biggest problem was that she constantly had to help out her sister Maria – which is why she hasn't received any business support from us so far. Mario helped Elizabeth's daughter Jennifer with school supplies. Jennifer is now in third grade and was ranked 14th out of 128 in the first semester and 31st in the second – a very good result. Switching to a private school is expensive and hardly feasible in third grade. Elizabeth's sales have recently declined, and she took out a loan (which she is still paying off). We plan to offer our own microloans without additional fees in the future.
2020
Elizabeth hadn't received any financial support from us for her business so far, but we covered her daughter Jennifer's school fees for the state school (although there are no tuition fees, there are still costs for electricity, security, water, food, school uniform, books, and notebooks). When we were in Arusha in January 2020, she was still paying off a loan (with interest), but she has since completed it. Since she no longer has to support her sister Maria as much, things have become easier for her. However, Maria's business has also been struggling recently. She currently owes 90,000 TSh in rent. To prevent her from having to take out another loan and pay interest, we would like to give her an interest-free loan and continue to cover Jennifer's school fees.
2021
Elizabeth and her mother bought a three-room house in August. It still needs painting and the ceiling tiles are missing, but the family will be moving in soon. Elizabeth earns a relatively good income, pays her mortgage weekly (until June 2022), and receives monthly rent for her fruit stand. She still owes three months' rent on her current rental property. Her daughter Jennifer will be starting fifth grade in January and has unexpectedly gained a half-sister named Lucy; the father will not be involved with the family, as he is already married.
2024
Elizabeth continues to run her business (working capital approximately 50,000 TSh, daily trips to the market for fruit and vegetables). She has repaid the mortgage on the house she shares with her mother, her sister Maria, and Maria's children. She is not buying a new house because the risk is too high. Electricity (500,000 TSh) and water (300,000 TSh) connections are unaffordable for her. Her daughter Jenny has completed primary school with good results and will be entering the 8th grade at a state school. Her younger daughter Lucy (3 years old) will be starting preschool at Goodwill School.
2025
Elizabeth and her family are healthy. She continues to earn her living with a fruit and vegetable stall, but her savings have shrunk from a sufficient 150,000 TSh to 150,000 TSh (originally 200,000 TSh), exacerbated by the post-election unrest. Elizabeth lives with her mother and Maria's family in a paid-off house without running water or electricity. Buying water (three buckets a day) is expensive and costs her more than her rent, including water, used to. We will therefore lend her money interest-free for a water connection (300,000 TSh); she should be able to repay the savings within a month. Jenny (10 years old, 8th grade) likes English and math and wants to become a doctor, but according to her teachers, she has problems with English. She volunteers at her mother's stall every day; Elizabeth plans to tell her in the future that she should be doing her homework. Lucy (4 years old) will start kindergarten next year.