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 Miss Arafa Maneno is one of 8 girls selected from over 150 applications from girls to participate in the Revolving Fund programme
and formed the "Girls Can" Revolving Fund Group in September 2008. A telling title calling for confidence in the capacity of girls to rise to this opportunity afforded them in a male dominated society and culture.
Arafa is a 19 year old, not married and living with her parents who are subsistent farmers, cultivating ½ ha farm growing some corn, fruit, sweet potatoes, cassava. Her father also does some fishing. She has 2 brothers and 1 sister and she is the oldest child. So far she has managed to complete Standard 7 Primary School and she reflects thoughtfully that if she gets a chance – meaning some sponsorship - she will continue her education. Already she is planning to study English when she earns income from the Revolving Fund initiative and later she hopes to study computers or mechanics.
Arafa herself tells her story.... Ms Arafa Maneno Girls Can Secretary/Treasurer)“The Yombo village committee posted the information about the Revolving Fund for girls only initiative and invited those interested to apply and come for interview. Girls have never got an invitation like this before. It is always the boys. They always get preference and only few girls get a chance to continue education or develop skills. “We stay at home and do house work, farming and child rearing and now we often are caring for family/relations with AIDS. Frequently we have to marry young. Many friends of my own age are married and have children. “So many girls applied – up to 150 and only 8 girls could be selected from my village and 8 from the neighbouring village. Many hoped but were disappointed. But more will get a chance later, after the first round of repayments and ongoing.
 (Yombo Village and 7 of the 8 members of ‘Girls Can’: Ms Najara Rajabu(Chairperson), Ms Wahida Abdalah, Ms Nuru Salaumu, Ms Mwashuruti Saidi, Ms Dora Shani, Ms Arafa Manemo (Secretary), Ms Mariam Mwarami, Ms Omari) “Following our selection, training was organized for us for 10 continuous days. This covered HIV/AIDS awareness; reproductive health; peer education and behavioural change. But most of the study was on developing our understanding of business skills - preparing us for the initiative we would start when we got the loan, how to manage it, repayments and how to work together in a group and in an association and our responsibilities. The association is to support and strengthen each other. The training is important for our own life and health and for avoiding HIV infection. We are also now peer educators which means we are soon to start working with our own age groups in all the villages around on AIDS awareness. At the end of the course we were awarded certificates.” “Our Association which we formed from our groups opened its Revolving Fund bank account and the APA project deposited the fund into it. We could take a loan of up to a maximum of T/sh500,000 [€300=]. I took a loan of T/sh300,000 [€185.00] which is less than I could have received because I was afraid in case my business initiative was not successful enough to repay the loan at the rate of T/sh27,000 p/month.
 (Monica, Sharifa, Fuharahini and Subira)We had 3 months ‘grace time’ in which to get our business started before starting repayments – this is the first time any organization have given such a graced period and it is a big help for our repayment on time after 3 months.“I have been elected as Treasurer of our group due to my education level. Mainly this involves collecting the monthly repayment loans from the girls and depositing these into our bank account. Others are waiting on us to make the repayments soon to have access to getting their loans.“With the T/sh300,000= loan I received I have commenced trading in used clothes, fish [we live near the sea] and food. I am able to repay the monthly amount of T/sh27,000= from the profit the trading generates and so are all the other girls doing likewise. None of us are behind on repayments.
 (Photo: Ms Wahida Abdalah (on right and above right) opened a shop and invested in poultry and now has up to 50 chickens.)“In addition to repaying the monthly amount I can do the following with the profit from my work in trading:2000T/sh p/day I give for upkeep of my family ·I can pay for any family emergency due to illness·I pay the rent for the shelter where I sell food and clothing·I plan to buy a little piece of land on which to build a shelter instead of renting·Weekly I can save 10 – 15,000T/sh and put it in the bank for my future education “All the girls from the training course understand how important it is to make the repayments each month – this is to ensure the next girl/s in line will have access in their turn to get their loans. We are even being pressurized by those girls who are waiting to take their loans said Arafa, to make the repayments on time. Girls never have had this kind of opportunity before but there are so many and only few of us have got a chance. This Revolving Fund project could expand and it can have thousands of girl members and give us confidence and opening up to us opportunities, dignity and livelihood. Girls don’t waste their income like the boys and young men do all the time. Like me, all the girls are helping their families.Arafa goes on to explain how “HIV is a critical issue all over Bagamoyo district and in our village area. Many young people of my age are sick and have died. More girls than boys get infected, so many from 15 to 25 years old. From February onwards our group of 8 girls who have received our training as peer educators, on reproductive health and behavioural change will start our outreach to all the villages around because there are many girls who do not aware on how they can be infected with the HIV. We will plan this awareness with the village committees so that many people will know about it and come.”
(Arafa, on left and Dr. Elineth, APA Project Facilitator) “Girls Can” – perhaps girls are the ones who can bring about a reversal to the ever rising AIDS infections. They are already rising to this Revolving Fund opportunity afforded them in a male dominated society and culture. It is crucial that these girls and 1000s more like them throughout Bagamoyo district be afforded opportunities in education and skills development so they unfold into the leaders that their communities and their society desperately need. The HOPE, the only hope of a better tomorrow for Africa are girls who are promoted and facilitated to develop their gifts and skills, realize their potential and stature, their equality and their dignity as women.
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