Esther Leah Achandi
Tanzania 2015
Esther Leah Achandi loved reading as a child. “I would pick up pieces of paper as I walked to experience the miracle of reading,” she says. Her parents were committed to education but at times faced challenges raising school fees for their six children. In spite of this, Achandi excelled—representing her high school in a national mathematics contest and qualifying for university. “I had a dream to enroll for my master’s immediately,” recalls Achandi. Even with the uncertainty of fees, she immersed herself in her studies. “I would say I am studying for fun— to occupy my mind.” It was only when one of her classmates paid her first semester fees that she was able to take her exams. At the beginning of the second semester, she was employed at a bank where she worked for two years. She later served as a part-time lecturer at Makerere and was able to pay for her educational expenses
I am writing my thesis on women’s empowerment, technical efficiency, and market participation within smallholder ricebased farming systems.
Field of Research
We want smallholder female farmers to be able to bargain for a fair share of the farm income.

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