REPORT__Evaluating_the_potential_of_microfinance_for_sanitation_in_Tanzania_May_2013

Name of institution BRAC Tanzania
Type of institution MFI/NGO development organisation
Interest in sanitation? No specific loan or program in sanitation
Name of contact and contact Gunendu Roy
details
Country Representative
Website bractanzania@gmail.com
www.brac.net/content/about-brac-tanzania - United
States
1. Main characteristics of institution
BRAC started operating in Tanzania in 2006 and promotes a number of development
programs aimed at improving members’ socioeconomic positions. BRAC Tanzania’s
Microfinance Program is designed to serve large numbers of poor people with reliable
access to cost effective financial services. BRAC believes that community partnerships
and institution building are essential for the poor if they are to change their economic,
social and political conditions. BRAC has 112 branches in Tanzania in 18 of 26 regions of
Tanzania including Zanzibar, the semi-autonomous island that forms part of the United
Republic of Tanzania. The main programs include (i) Small Enterprise program, (ii)
Agriculture, (iii) Empowerment and livelihood for adolescents and (iv) Health.
2. Interest in microfinance for sanitation
BRAC does not specifically provide financial services for sanitation improvement. The
closest program to sanitation is the Health care program. The overall goal of the Health
Care Program is to improve health and increase access of the majority of Tanzanians to
basic health care services. The program aims to provide a package of basic health care
services to whole communities where BRAC operates including microfinance groups and
emphasizing service delivery for poor women and children. This goal works in tandem with
government’s national policy to improve the current health status of its people.
To date, the program has trained 1,716 Community Health Volunteers and 211
Community Health Workers. The service has reached about 1,561,242 people and
approximately 312,248 households.
BRAC Tanzania seeks to compliment and/or supplement government programs,
whenever and wherever suggested by the authorities. Through effective collaboration with
the government, BRAC takes part in the fight against important diseases like TB, Malaria
and HIV/AIDS by using the community workers. The community Health volunteers can
also effectively disseminate information on issues like National Immunization Days and
motivate the community to use relevant government services.
3. Product development experience
While there seems to be a large pool of community workers under this program, BRAC
does not seem to have used these community health workers on sanitation promotion.
The activities in the health sector seem to be operated as livelihood programs rather than
private sector driven financial products. As such, it is not clear if BRAC in Tanzania has
financial products development experience. Further study and engagement with BRAC
may shed more light on their experience on product development.
4. Overall assessment of the potential for sanitation microfinance
Overall, BRAC’s approach to service delivery through livelihood development programs
has some potential to extend to the promotion of sanitation services. The pool of Health
workers and volunteers could readily be used to promote adoption of sanitation services in
BRAC’s areas of operation.
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