How Financial Inclusion Built a Future: Abel’s Story of Small Beginnings

Abel’s humble beginning started in a genge duka, a small, rented roadside vegetable and fruit stall, on a dusty stretch of road in Tanzania. Life back then was far from easy. His monthly income of TZS 300,000 ($120) was hardly enough to provide three meals a day for his family. But instead of giving up, Abel used those struggles as motivation. He pushed himself to build a better future for his growing family—one far from the poverty he knew. 

In 2017, an opportunity came from VisionFund, the financial inclusion arm of World Vision. Abel learned about the financial services that VisionFund provides to farmers and entrepreneurs. Without further ado, he took out a TZS 1,000,000 ($400) loan from VisionFund Tanzania, which he used to invest in grocery items sold at a retail shop.  

“I was able to expand my small business,” Abel cheerily says.  

He says he likes VisionFund. “I can access loans when I need them. It is a Christian organisation, the interest rate is affordable and stress-free, and no bureaucracy or hidden charges.” 

Abel continues to dream for his family. After repaying his first loan, he took a second loan of more than TZS 2,000,000 ($800), which he used to buy a plot of land for farming and raising cattle. The fourth to eighth loans, totalling TZS 7 million ($2,800), helped him build a new house for his family and buy a machine for sunflower oil milling.  

“Every loan helped me grow not just my business, but my family’s future. Now I can feed, educate, and raise my children in a healthy environment,” says Abel. 

Over the years, Abel’s business grew from the roadside stall to a well-established retail shop. He now runs a sunflower oil press, maintains a small livestock farm, and lives in a modern home with his wife and three children, built through steady financial growth and perseverance.  

“Now my family is eating well, healthy and nutritious food three times a day. We can already afford to eat meat and vegetables. I can also pay my children’s school fees,” he shares. 

Abel and his wife work as accountability partners. She supports him, helps plan, and stays at the shop. Their partnership has been essential to their success.  

“Every loan helped me grow not just my business, but my family’s future,” he repeats, emphasising that it was not just the financial support but the discipline and planning that transformed their lives. 

In 2023, Abel and his wife finally built a new house for their growing family and bought a vehicle to help transport products for their shop and serve their community in emergencies.  

Aside from improving their own lives, Abel is helping others in his community. He employs two people at the shop and assists others during emergencies.  

“I am happy that I am also able to help others by providing them with income and helping my community by lending my vehicle in times of emergencies,” he says. 

Abel’s village is located in a remote, mountainous area of Katesh. The vehicle proved helpful when someone in the community needed immediate medical attention and transportation to the town.   

Despite the achievements, Abel continues to dream and aspires to expand his business, buy additional crops to sell, and acquire transport for them. He is unstoppable, especially now that his wife is pregnant with their fourth child. 

From earning a few and barely providing three meals a day, to earning TZS 2.5 to 3 million ($1,000 - $1,200) a month with a thriving business and a secure home, Abel’s story shows the impact of financial inclusion. With VisionFund, he not only grew his business but also transformed his children's health, education, and future. 

###