For more than 30 years UWCM have been responsible for setting up, training and supporting Women’s Groups and there are now about 80 groups, each with 25-30 members. The members are encouraged to work hard, respect their leaders as well as each other and to follow their group constitution for the smooth running of the group. One aspect of training that has had an increasingly positive impact on lives over the last few years, is that of Community Managed Micro-Finance saving schemes (CMMF). See below for examples taken from UWCM’s recent report of differences the saving schemes have had on families:
- One woman testified that, through borrowing from savings, she has managed to educate her children. One is a Secondary Teacher, another is a Vet and one is an Accountant. She said that this was only possible because of being a member of the savings group, and currently, they are all supporting their parents through their employment.
- Members save some money, besides usual savings, to help them buy what they want during the Christmas period.
- They explained that in most cases, husbands don’t provide money for children’s clothes or to support their parents at home, therefore they can use this money for such things.
- Many groups have set up a ‘revolving fund’ to buy rainwater harvesting tanks for each member of the group.
