Hecasa Homestay

Scola Ponera, a fervent advocate for women's empowerment, is the visionary behind HECASA Homestay and Safaris Ltd, a burgeoning tourism and hospitality startup nestled in Arusha, Tanzania. In 2022, inspired by a return to her home village during the COVID-19 pandemic, Scola envisioned leveraging tourism to foster economic development within local communities. Today, her enterprise employs 23 women, fostering small women’s groups dedicated to local soap manufacturing, jewelry crafting, and artisanal pursuits.

With the Giving Joy grant, Scola engaged 40 women from Arusha, focusing on women with disabilities and those caring for disabled children. She organized a series of trainings on hospitality, entrepreneurship, soap making, traditional food preparation, botanical and spice gardening, batik, and traditional garment making. To formalize and strengthen these efforts, Scola founded the "IWOSEA Women Group" cooperative, which provides a structured platform for women in her community to develop entrepreneurship skills and improve their livelihoods. The women meet biweekly to practice their crafts, with plans to sell their products through Scola’s Homestay and other local tourism hotspots. The 40 women aim to train an additional 100 women through the IWOSEA Women’s Group, indirectly impacting around 250 individuals.

“I have learned that, there is no such thing as a small money, stated Scola and added: “When I was applying for this, I thought the $500 is too small, but once I received it and looking at how much I have accomplished, I have learned to appreciate and confirmed that every dollar counts. I have also learned that, women need more than money, they need capacity building, to be empowered and to just believe in them and they can surprise you on how much they are capable of despite the challenge and workload they have.”