What we do
KAZI is a non-profit organization linking those who can benefit from micro-lending and those who wish to provide it. Simply put, we represent the connection between lenders from all over the globe and entrepreneurs from the Tanzanian region of Ifakara.
Our primary mission is to source the funds necessary to jump-start projects that banks wouldn’t consider due to limited collateral. We carefully select economically viable projects with a social and/or ecological aspect.
Helping an entrepreneur develop a new business also means helping entire communities who prosper from it. In addition to providing capital, KAZI also accompanies the selected projects as they develop with managerial support and knowledge sharing.
We exist to create opportunities and fuel progress, by building a financially inclusive world. Our vision is to use the best of our society to give everyone a chance to share what they own and know, with those who do not.
Who we are
We are a team of young professionals with a wide range of backgrounds, from medicine and political science to law and business. Our contribution towards shaping a more inclusive world and empowering the less fortunate lies in the belief that stronger local entrepreneurs are the pillars of their communities and the local economy. We strive to support their projects that have no negative impact on the environment and help them envision a better future for their children. The term “kazi” means "work" in Swahili and was born from our founder’s frustration while working as a doctor in Cameroon and not being able to have a sufficiently significant impact. Paul-Camille was struck by the number of great ideas raised by local entrepreneurs and the lack of funds to bring them to life; he observed how local entrepreneurs have almost no access to loans and felt the urge to come up with a solution.
Today KAZI Start funding is made up of two separate, legally independent entities that work in close collaboration with each other: KAZI Switzerland and KAZI Tanzania. The majority of the administrative work from sponsoring and fundraising to marketing and budgeting is carried out by a group of dedicated and motivated volunteers based in the French-speaking region of Switzerland. The Swiss team members are in constant contact with their counterparts in Tanzania who, in addition to clerical work, actively seek out new partners, collaborators, project leaders, and mentors. Each entity contributes equally to the successful operations of the KAZI Start funding project as a whole.
Where we are
Our primary fieldwork is centered in Ifakara, a small, rural town in the Kilombero district of the Morogoro region in Tanzania. Our work originated here when KAZI founder Paul-Camille Genton practiced medicine in the region, where he was able to build up the necessary support network to launch KAZI Start funding. Ifakara has been our starting point, and our long-term goal is to expand our activity to other cities and regions throughout Tanzania.
KAZI Start funding has been an international project from its inception. In addition to project leaders and KAZI staff in Tanzania, our administrative team is based primarily in Switzerland. It is thanks to the collaboration with our international team, on-site mentors and volunteers that KAZI is able to support entrepreneurs with microlending and consulting in Tanzania
KAZI IS NOTHING WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT.
LEND OR DONATE TODAY!