The recoverable grant
How Fandema works
One gift keeps working, funding both us and future farmers.
You give
A donation flows to Fandema International.
100% funds a farmer
Every dollar reaches a vetted farmer as a recoverable grant.
The farmer builds
A proven enterprise: livestock, a nursery, bees, or a garden.
The grant returns
Once profitable, the farmer repays the principal.
Funds keep working
Recovered capital covers Fandema's overhead and funds the next farmer's grant.
Fandema only earns when farmers succeed.
Recovered funds become future grants — the cycle returns to step 2.
Because self-help needs a start.
Farmer projects
What a grant grows into
Four proven project types, each matched to a farmer's stage and goals.
Tree nursery
300 seedlings · half papaya, half choice
3–4 months to profitability
INPUT
$100
D7,000
REVENUE
$200
D14,000
Sell 275 seedlings; keep 25 for the farmer's own ongoing production. Fastest turnaround of any project — ideal for a first income activity.
Livestock
3 rams + 1 ewe · fattened for Tabaski
6–9 months to profitability
INPUT
$600
D45,000
REVENUE
$1,000
D75,000
Sell all 3 rams at Tabaski, when prices peak. Keep the ewe and her offspring for continued production.
Beekeeping
5 hives · honey + beeswax harvest
1–2 years to profitability
INPUT
$250
D17,500
REVENUE / 2 YRS
$500
D35,000
Slower to mature, but low-labor and long-lived. Boosts nearby crop yields through pollination. Farmer keeps all hives for ongoing production.
Garden
1 hectare · borehole + water system
2–3 years to profitability
INPUT
$7,500
D500,000
REVENUE / 3 YRS
$12,000+
D850,000+
The largest investment, with year-round vegetable income. Farmer builds fencing and secures land to qualify, then retains full ownership.
All figures are planning estimates; actual results vary by season, market, and farmer.
The farmer pathway
Accelerating agricultural activities into small businesses
Every farmer has the chance to grow toward self-reliance.
Selection
Vetted by community referral and interview.
Tier 1
Formalized income activity
Funding accelerates what the farmer already does.
Tier 2
Micro-enterprise
A profitable business and a framework for scaling.
Tier 3
Small enterprise
Diversified, steady income with job-creating potential.
Graduation
The farmer is financially independent.
Funds a new farmer
Stakes a neighbor's first tier 1 project.
Access to formal financing
Bank loans and government grants.
A graduate's stake seeds the next farmer's tier 1 — the cycle continues.