ishaka-farmers

Ishaka Farmers Sacco Ltd is a dynamic and consumer – focused bank, which was started on 16th June 2008 by microfinance practitioners known as “Founder Members”, (composed of 3 ladies and 2 gentlemen) after realizing that there was a need to mobilize the community especially farmers and make a pool of self sustenance.

ishaka-farmers-sacco-staff

Ishaka farmers sacco staff attending to clients

They started their group by contributing some money on a monthly basis while lending out the contributed money to those who were in need. Those farmers would sometimes exchange farming products and term them as loans.eg chicks, piglets, calves, coffee seedlings and poultry feeds.

The group latter joined a Care International led VSLA (Village savings associations) methodology that assisted the group to get free trainings. This VSLA programme played a big role to model and train these members who met fortnightly at the Chairperson’s residence – Hot-springs Hotel- Ishaka in group saving methodologies and ways of loan payment among farmers.

one-of-the-managers-of-ishaka-sacco

One of the managers of Ishaka Farmers sacco

Members kept on increasing month by month until 2009 when members decided to register as Sacco. Since then, the Sacco has grown in leaps and bounds, as evidenced by the surge in membership, share capital, savings and loan portfolio.

Since its inception, the Sacco concentrated on supporting through subsidized agricultural loans until 2010 when other products including; business loan, school fees loan, bodaboda loan were introduced in response to customer demands..

MISSION: To provide financial services to economically active members through increased savings and credit access and other basic financial services namely; credit, insurance, agricultural inputs, and money transfer services

VISION: To become a strong and sustainable institution adequately serving the financial needs of its members

CORE VALUES: Ishaka Farmers Sacco is guided by the following core values of; Democracy and self governance, equality, equity, solidarity, social responsibility, honest and openness

OUR TEAM:

Our uniqueness lies in the strength of our experienced and professional team, who are driven by passion to deliver banking solutions responsive to the growing needs of consumers. We currently employ more than 40 professionals in the five branches

AREAS OF OPERATION:

Ishaka Farmers Sacco has grown over the years, to strategically establish a network of branches, covering major towns in this region, including; Ishaka in Bushenyi district, Ndekye and Katerera in Rubirizi district, Kibatsi in Ntungamo district, Ntara in Kamwenge district as well as other branches being opened in the near future.

All of Ishaka Farmers’ Sacco’s five (5) branches are located in South Western Uganda, which is mother land for food production in Uganda. The institution’s major financing priorities focus in agricultural value addition projects, including diary production, coffee and maize bulking, and commercial banana and tea production

OUR PARTNERS:

We strive to attain and maintain the highest standards of operation required by law of any financial institution. To safeguard our customer’s savings, all the Sacco’s assets and liabilities are insured with RAD Africa Insurance Ltd.

Ishaka Farmers Sacco Ltd has patterned with a number of organizations within and abroad in its quest to attract and raise the financial and human resource capital it requires in its operations. We are currently benefiting from financial and technical support offered by OikoCredit. Other organizations, including; GOU, UCA, DANIDA, and UCSCU have provided at least 30% of the Sacco’s financial and human resource development requirements while the remaining 70% of the Sacco’s financial funding is from its members share capital, savings and retained profits.

SCOPE OF BUSINESS:

Ishaka Farmers Sacco Ltd opened her doors to serve the underprivileged and those who have not been integrated in the mainstream financial institutions. We strive to serve more than 20,000 families in the sub western region.

At Ishaka Farmers Sacco Ltd, we are committed to offering you highly dependable and professional banking services. Our products have been carefully designed to cater for varying needs of our customers, ranging from Institutional, Corporate, Commercial as well as Individuals.

Our customers have access to a bouquet of products and services tailored to their needs, including;

  • Loan related products; overdrafts, personal secured/ unsecured loans, institutional secured/ unsecured loans and Small & Medium Enterprise loans.
    • As our areas of operation are predominantly dependant on agricultural produce and the motorcycle transport industry, our loan products are designed along that line, including; Motorcycle loans for Boda-boda operators, Bicycle loans for matooke vendors, Cash loans for ordinary petty business operators and solar power loans for those who cannot access the hydro power grid
  • Collections and bill payments; school/ institution fees collection, municipal/ town tax payments
  • Accounts; Personal savings, Minors’ savings, Institutional/ Corporate current accounts and fixed deposits accounts
  • Money transfer services, available through Mtn, Airtel and Warid networks

 

In addition, Ishaka Farmers’ Sacco prides itself in offering other essential non-financial services, including;-

  • We provide a health insurance plan/fund for our members whereby if they fall sick, the Sacco pays the bill or if they die, the Sacco pays the funeral expenses
  • We contract our social and health promotion partners/consultants to provide general health Guidance and counseling to infected and non infected members
  • We contract our business and agricultural development partners/consultants to provide trainings on improving their agricultural and business projects
  • Corporate social responsibility where by Ishaka farmers Sacco ltd involve itself in public activities like cleaning the environment.
  • Bursary scheme for exceptionally bright but poor children of our members
  • Processing of land tittles for our members who wish to acquire them
  • Safe custody of our members valuables, including land titles, logbooks, wills and academic documents
Area of operation view of Ishaka sacco

Outside view of Ishaka Farmers ssacco

CURRENT STATUS: 

Ishaka Farmers’ Sacco status as at 31st August 2016 was as follows:-

No. Branch Name District No. of Staff Total Membership Total Share Capital Total Voluntary Savings Loan Portfolio
1 Ishaka (H/Qtrs) Bushenyi 13 6,562 629,703,230 1,114,679,200 2,167,757,000
2 Ndekye Rubirizi 8 3,851 223,987,498 541,369,900 913,132,773
3 Katerera Rubirizi 6 3,963 200,860,800 694,128,700 821,658,323
4 Kibatsi Ntungamo 5 2,542 139,334,618 532,954,150 615,840,836
5 Ntara Kamwenge 6 1,763 26,926,312 318,754,050 449,629,164
    TOTALS 40 18,681 1,379,900,120 3,201,913,000 6,271,418,326

Presented by: Arinaitwe Naboth, General Manager (0702-544512 / arinaitwen@ymail.com)

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