A Publication of Floresta USA, Inc.
Spring 2006
Director’s Corner
By Scott Sabin, Executive Director
“Harambee, Har-ambee, Harambee” the
women sang as they danced down the aisle,
waving Tanzanian shilling notes joyfully
above their heads before placing...
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A Publication of Floresta USA, Inc.
Spring 2006
Director’s Corner
By Scott Sabin, Executive Director
“Harambee, Har-ambee, Harambee” the
women sang as they danced down the aisle,
waving Tanzanian shilling notes joyfully
above their heads before placing them in
the basket at the head table.
Harambee is a
Swahili word, meaning “Let’s pull together.
” It also refers to the type of community
fundraiser in which we were participating.
Earlier that afternoon as we worked on our
strategic plan, Floresta Tanzania director
Edith Banzi had talked to me about local
fundraising events, and I had been skeptical.
As I watched these women singing,
however, my skepticism vanished.
We were at a fundraiser for one of
three Village Community Banks or VICOBA groups that we have established to
help Tanzanian villagers save money and
generate capital for small businesses.
It is
a different approach for us, involving no
direct contribution of money from Floresta.
During our first year in Tanzania, we
e
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