Increasing Women Access to Financial Credit: The case of Upendo na Amani Village Community Bank in Kilimahewa Village at Nachingwea ward in Ruangwa District.

This dissertation if the product of the Participatory Needs Assessment (PNA) that was done in Kilimahewa village, Ruangwa district, to identify the needs of Upendo na Amani group and identify ways of implementing it. The study findings have shown that the community is having income poverty and lack of capital to finance their entrepreneurial ventures. The study has suggested for the establishment of a community managed savings and credit association as a solution to the problem. Reviewed literature depicted that women were comparatively poor than men but they are likely to succeed fighting poverty through combined efforts especially formation of economic production groups. Although the Tanzanian policy framework avails opportunities and support for women growth, the policies have not been able to pull many rural women out of income poverty. Through working with the host organization and other stakeholders, the community formally formed and registered a group namely Upendo na Amani, opened a bank account, and has started savings through buying shares. Daily monitoring of the project activities was conducted by using participatory methods including the participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and Beneficiary Assessment (BA). The project promises to be sustainable because the community has put in place their constitution and has shown commitment to work with other stakeholders in implementing the project. Keywords: Women, Financial, Community, Development, Credit