Observers Become Savings Group Members
Most participants in Village Savings and Lending Associations (VSLA) are women, so the opportunity to discuss women’s issues is just one of the many useful reasons to join a group. In May, secretaries from villages in each program zone held “sharing meetings.” The secretaries learned from other groups how they work, what problems they face, how they solve them, and generally benefited from discussing their experiences.
One secretary from each zone was chosen to be a VSLA Village Agent. Next year, the Village Agents will receive more VSLA training so that they can help groups cash out their funds, advise them on sorting through problems, and even train new groups.
Sharing meeting attendees agreed that VSLAs continue to be a great support. “Thanks to engaging in income-generating activities, we earn money that helps us feed our families, look after our children and ourselves, pay our children’s school fees, contribute to family ceremonies, save money, and clothe our children and ourselves.” In times of insecurity, the VSLA has enabled members and their families to stay afloat. Many group leaders are now assisting in the formation of new groups for women who have observed the transformation experienced by VSLA members and want to experience it for themselves.
Kangohanla, a mother of five, used to dream of raising sheep for income but lacked the means to buy her first animal to fatten. Before she joined a VSLA group, she said, “I could see that every time a VSLA cashbox was shared out at the end of the savings cycle, my neighbors who were members received money and did as they pleased with it. This prompted me to become a member of a VSLA group in my village with a membership of 26 women.”
After her group’s savings payout, she found she had enough to buy a sheep for $41. She fattened it over six months and sold it for $182. With her earnings she bought three more for $99, paid $25 for their bran and millet-stalk feed, had them vaccinated for $3, and the rest she used for personal and household expenses. She’ll soon be selling those three, and plans to repeat the process to buy and raise more.
Kangohanla says, “I am really happy because through [local partner] SEL, I’ve realized a dream. I earn more money from time to time, and my animal business is progressing well. I thank SEL.”
West Africa Program
Led by World Renew and Local Partner Showing Everyone Love (SEL)