SELFINA
Victoria Kisyombe, SELFINA
A veterinarian by profession, Victoria Kisyombe has been at the forefront of efforts to increase women's access to finance in Tanzania. She founded Sero Lease and Finance, Ltd. (SELFINA) in response to the problems facing women mirco-entrepreneurs in rural areas. Dr. Kisyombe earned her masters degree in Veterinary Medicine from the Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine at the University of Edinburgh in the UK. Her current priorities include lobbying for the passage of a new leasing law, opening additional branches of SELFINA in rural areas, and starting leasing of agricultural implements.
SELFINA is a for-profit micro-leasing company that provides business training and other economic empowerment services to over 11,000 active clients--lower-income (mostly rural) women in Tanzania. Its micro leases help women acquire assets that create or add economic value, and which can also serve as collateral to support further business growth. SELFINA has also started offering longer term, larger leases for business expansion purposes to those women entrepreneurs who have a successful credit record with SELFINA and prospects to grow a larger business.
GBF's investment will help SELFINA grow, expand geographically, and attract additional investment. It will also support SELFINA in a new financial product: developing a "Next Stage Fund" offering larger, longer-term financing and technical assistance to repeat clients.
