TIONESO SENGABAY PTB

Most of the group members have their businesses along the Sengabay trading centre which is a vibrant market as one is going to the lake.  The group started in 2008 after the bank started the Mobile services in the district at Salima boma.  They indicated that they had small businesses and they had been looking forward to have a chance of improving their businesses and with the services the bank brought to the district they did not hesitate but mobilized themselves to form Tionenso Sengabay PTB.

The eldest member is aged 36 and the youngest member is aged 30.

members of Tioneso Sengabay PTB

FORMULATION OF THE GROUP

The founding members of the group were Anna Kapolo and Joanna Bondi who have lived in the area since 1996 and 1990 respectively.   Anna family had been experiencing problems in the running of their day to day lives because of the burden of the growing of demands for their children as well as dependants in their home. She thought of establishing a business that could increase the financial status of the family and started with a small hawker.  The group has four oldest members and two have left the group to upgrade their education. 

BUSINESS ACTIVITIES

The members of the group are in involved in various businesses like grocery, soft drinks, tomatoes, thobwa (a Malawian brewed drink) and second hand clothes.  The group average earnings are at K3000.00 after accessing the loans for almost five cycles.  Their businesses are affected by both farming and the availability of the fish at the lake.  As a result of this the women have to be diligent to maximize the peak seasons that affect their businesses.

EDUCATION

Anna and her friends are all able to read and write though the highest qualification of the group is Junior Certificate.  Apart from the one with Junior Certificate the rest of the members reached up to standard seven.  The members children are mainly in primary school and the rest are in secondary schools.  One child is repeating form four in order to increase the chances of her going to the university and that is after being encouraged by is mother who wants her children to attain high education.  Most members expressed the desire to see their children attaining higher education than what they have done.

LIVING STANDARDS

Four of the members of the PTB stay in rented houses as their husbands are in full time jobs.  Although the husbands happen to work most of them earn average salaries and that why most of these women ventured into businesses to boost their financial earnings.  The other point to note is that most of them keep  more than two dependants hence the demand for more financial support.  The houses have electricity as well as piped water from the beach.  But two members of the group stay in their own houses and don’t have corrugated iron sheets and piped water.  

HEALTH

Members of the group access medical care from Salima Central Hospital which is located at a distance of 10km from Sengabay and also Asante Private Hospital which is situated 1km form the trading Centre.  The Government Central Hospital faces one big challenge of shortage of medicines as this covers the whole district of Salima.  Apart from this there is always congestion of patients since the services offered are for free.   The average charge of medical services at Asante Private Hospital are K1500 per visit.  Malaria , cholera and itching sores are the most common sicknesses that affect the residents of Sengabay as well as the whole district of Salima.

TRACKING INFORMATION REPORT:   MEMBER DETAILS

THE CLIENT: ANNA KAPOLO

Anna Kapolo is an energetic lady aged  36 married with six children.  She is also taking care of five dependants two males and three females form the husbands side.  She runs a grocery shop at Senga Bay Trading Centre which she started operating in 2008.  Her husband works at Livingstonia Beach and their oldest child is 18 years old and her youngest daughter is 9 months old.  Her first born is in form three at Salima  secondary school and three are Senga Bay  primary school which is less than a kilometer from the trading centre. Two of the dependants she takes care of are in primary school as well.

Anna in her grocery

BUSINESS ACTIVITY

Anna runs a grocery where she sells things like , soft drinks,slippers, small snacks as well as water.  She starts her day by working up as early as 5am to clean nappies for her 9 months old baby and bathes her.  She has to also prepare breakfast for all the children in the house hold and she makes sure that they leave home for school in time.  She then cleans her home and starts off for the grocery at around eight am.  At the shop she starts by cleaning the shop and hangs some of the goods in place.  She doesn’t have a worker as such she has to be diligent on her running of the business on daily basis.

Most of Anna’s clients are school going children who learn at Sengabay primary school situated less than 500m from the school as well as fishermen who fish a few kilometers form the trading centre.

On high sales Anna makes sales up to K7000.00  and this is being achieved after Opportunity Bank Malawi has increased her capital with a K50,000.00 and this is her fifth cycle.   Doreen helps her husband in the payment of school fees for children and running day today expenses in the home.

Some of Anna’s customers are school children from Senga bay Primary School situated less 500m from her grocery

EDUCATION

When asked about her education, Anna laughs and says that she went up to standard seven and says she encourages her children to do more than what she has attained.  She is however able to read and write and as of now she doesn’t have any immediate plans to upgrade herself.  She pointed out that it is difficult to do so now because of the pressure she has to take care of her school going children as well as dependants

LIVING STANDARDS

Anna stays in a rented three bed roomed house roofed with corrugated iron sheets.   She uses piped water and the house has electricity.  However at this point is proper to mention that the house was offered by the employee of her husband.  Anna says she will be glad to be staying in her own house very soon to ease the money she pays for rent each and every month.  She even point out that the house is small comparing to the umber of children in their household.  A due to this she plans to invest more in her business to be able to buy land and build in the near future

HEALTH

Anna is mostly worried when her family is attacked by malaria, cholera and itchy skin sores.  This is due to  the short supply of free medicines at the government hospital and she also said if she resorts to Asante Private hospital the average cost of the services is K1500.00.  Malaria is common in the district because of the many swamps along the lake shore.

RELIGION

Anna is active member of her church.  She actively participates in the visits of her church to other members as well as funeral functions.  She also participates in activities of the community such as weddings and developmental works.

OTHER TRANSFORMATIONAL INDICATORS

Anna is very hard working at home as well as in her business.  Her business has grown and the little shop has now two fridges owned by her self.  She also bought a low cost car which is used as a Taxi.  Her day to day life in the home has positively changed.

JOANA BONDI

Joana is a lady aged 35 married and has six children.  She is very light in complexion and is always smiling.  She is a Muslim and hails form Salima.  She has four  boys and two girls.  She started her business wayback in 2006 where she used to sell tomatoes outside her home.  Marital problems forced her to find ways of supporting herself financially.  Despite this ordeal in her life she has taken the circumstances positively and has now become more wise and hardworking in life.  She believes in herself more than before.

BUSINESS ACTIVITY

Joan has been involved in small scale business since more then six years.  She has been selling tomatoes at her home.  When she heard about Opportunity Bank Malawi she joined with her friends to boost her business.  She has now since been able to sell groceries.  With the help of the loan that she got she is now able to earn K7000.00 in a day during peak season.  The business is mainly affected by  farming season as well as lake storms.  Her customers mainly are the fish mongers and if the lake is affected business is not always good.

Joana saving a customer from her neighborhood

EDUCATION

Joana Bondi is able to read and write but just went up to standard six.  She encourages her children to work hard in school.  She faces one challenge of her children’s education.  With the culture in Malawi parents take children and leave them with their grandparents to help them with day to day chores.  As result most kids are not encouraged by granny to go to school.  Joana has a similar problem.   Her eldest son is in standard four though he is aged 16  because he was delayed in the village.  She took the initiative to get him back to her home two years ago.  

Her son is enrolled at Senga Bay primary school a school that is about 5km form her home.  The children go by foot and the school does not have a fence.  As a result kids can easily skip classes to go the near trading centre.

LIVING STANDARDS

Joana is able to feed her family now since her business has grown.  She however is a bread winner of the home as result faces a challenge with her savings.  But all in all she is able to provide for her six children as well as dependants.  She has managed to build a three bed roomed house and is roofed with grass.  It  does not have electricity neither piped water.  She has a vision of roofing her house with corrugated iron sheets.

Joana’s children having a meal in her renovated house

HEALTH

Joana and her family accesses medical care at Salima Central Hospital and  also Baptist Private Hospital that is situated 6km form her home.  The average cost of medicines at Baptist is K1500.00.  The family is mostly affected by Malaria and itchy sore.

OTHER TRANSFORMATIOM INDICATORS

Joana wants to finish her home and increase her savings.  She wants to finance her children up to university level.  She also wants to bring electricity in her home.  The most touching thing is that she is is now the bread winner of the home and she wants to progress in life after being faced with marital problems.