YOSEFO - Tanzania

YOSEFO

Established in 1996, Youth Self Employment Foundation (YOSEFO) is a Non-Govermental Organization (NGO) based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The founders of YOSEFO are professionals in microfinance, business management and employment issues and work in the private and public sector.

Group Lending

YOSEFO gives loans to individual Tanzanian entrepeneurs, who organize themselves into 5-person groups. The groups take primary responsibility for supporting and aiding its members as they develop their business. Every week, eight groups from a community (a "center") come together to repay loan installments and conduct group business.

Village Savings and Credit Associations

YOSEFO have introduced a linkage program with Village Savings and Credit Associations (VSCA) called Benki Jamii, which means "community bank" in Swahili. The VSCAs are formed by up to 40 individuals who save regularly and can borrow through a fund they create with their own savings. The VSCAs are linked with YOSEFO for additional funds in case the self-created savings are not sufficient to meet the demand for loans. This program has been introduced in three locations: Tumbatu (Zanzibar), Kilwa and Ifakara.

Kiungani str. Mkunazini Building
P.O. Box 75379
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Tel : +255 22-2180914
info@yosefo.org

YOSEFO also run more than a dozen community banks in and around Dar es Salaam, including in the neighborhoods of Buguruni, Kigamboni, Lumo, Mbgala, Makangarawe, Mazizini, Tabata, Tandika, Vingunguiti, and Vituka.