Building Sustainable Sunflower Oil Processing in Mundemu ADP

Mundemu Youth Group is one of the Savings and Loans groups that World Vision is working with in Mundemu ADP. Comprising of 32 people, members meet weekly to buy shares, and take small loans to meet the cost of basic needs or invest in their own businesses. The group was keen to develop a business in sunflower oil processing – sunflower being one of the main cash crops in this part of Tanzania. After constructing a building for the purpose purely through their own resources, World Vision, with the support of Electric Aid, supported the group with trainings and a sunflower processing machine.

While this has benefited members of the group, it has also allowed the many sunflower producers in the community to process their product locally rather than selling the seeds – almost doubling a farmer’s earnings from a 80kg bag, which processed into oil fetches a prize of TZS 55, 000 (€25). This has helped farmers raise incomes and provide for the education, health, food and shelter needs of their families.

The group are determined to use some of the proceeds from the sunflower processing business to reach out to vulnerable members of the community. The Chairperson Mr Supsester Masila explains:

 “The benefit we earn from the sunflower processing and interest from loans are being used to support orphans and vulnerable children in the community. This year we have supported 4 girls and 6 boys studying at Mundemu Secondary School with school fees, uniforms and stationary. We plan to support more such children in the future as our income grows”.