Four sophomores selected to spend spring break in Tanzania

Four Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business sophomores will be spending their spring break in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Wharton and College sophomores Kristin Hall, Taishi Kushiro, Aleksandar Rasevski and Natalie Tejero were chosen by the Grassroots Business Fund to evaluate the poverty levels of clients of Sero Lease and Finance Limited, or SELFINA, and to help them increase their standard of living.

The group will administer a sample survey to determine and monitor the clients' household, financial and business conditions. Questions will relate to water sources, childhood education and access to media, Kushiro explained.

He added, "We hope to see that people are getting better because of SELFINA."

The survey is a pilot to see if it conveys an accurate sense of the poverty level, he said. The group will observe the reaction to the surveys to find out if people find the questions offensive and to determine if the questions are relevant.

Based on the success rate of the survey, the students will create a final version.

A non-bank financial institution established in 2002 and based in Tanzania, SELFINA is a micro-leasing institution that gives business training and other economic empowerment services to lower-income women, according to its Web site.

The organization is a major micro-leasing provider for Tanzanian women and a credible microfinance partner for banks and other financial institutions that work toward women's economic empowerment.

The GBF - whose executive director, Harold Rosen, is a Penn alumnus - consults with groups like SELFINA to understand and improve their organization, while expecting a return for their investments.

The group has a social focus and wants to see people progressing, Taishi said.

This project is not for credit or affiliated with a Penn course.

However, the Huntsman Program is funding the students' venture.

The students will work closely with Rafi Menachem, who joined GBF last July and is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the GBF portfolio.

"I am excited about helping SELFINA provide the region with a sustainable model that is not founded on a limited inflow of donations," Tejero wrote in an e-mail, "but on investments based on the belief that Tanzanians can generate wealth through entrepreneurship."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.