By Betty Luke
At a home within Kiwanjani area on the outskirts of Isiolo town, a group of about 20 women dance ecstatically in a circle with their movements coordinated to a rhythm. At the centre of the circle is a metallic box, akin to a mechanic toolbox, which seemingly holds a veiled meaning to the group.
The box, we would later learn, was a vital item in promotion of a saving culture among the members of Bilan Women Group.
Hailing from areas where there are no traditional banking services, savings remains the surest way for the women to pool resources and access loans for economic empowerment.
The box supports the Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA), a microfinance model that helps marginalized groups to save, access loans, and obtain emergency financial assistance.
Unlike formal banking institutions, VSLAs are locally driven initiatives tailored to meet the financial needs of underserved residents, especially in areas where access to traditional banking is limited.
A member of the group Ms Halima Ali who is a camel milk vendor emerged the best saver in the past year after saving Sh47,000. She says VSLA had significantly helped boost her business.
“I picked the first loan to meet the local demand. I currently sell over 50 liters of milk up from 20 liters before I joined the VSLA. It has been a game-changer,” she shared.
Another member, Sadia Abdullahi takes pride in educating her two girls through secondary school using money from their previous profit sharing in 2023.
“My children would have dropped out of school after my husband lost his job during Covid-19 era. I am happy that VSLA has helped me take care of their education,” Sadia said, adding that she depends on casual jobs to get money to save.
Bilan women group’s share-out of Sh900, 000 savings for the last one year, was done last month.
Miles away in Bulapesa ward, another group of young women; Isiolo Somali Queens, whose majority of its members are aged below 25 years are also embracing the saving culture.
Group Chairperson Qaltuma Ibrahim says the initiative has supported a majority of her members who had dropped out of school to resume studies and that some had proceeded to and completed college.
She says there is a need for political leaders to support such initiatives to address joblessness among young people.
“Some have picked loans to start businesses while others paid their school fees and have completed college without a challenge. We hope to increase our savings from the current Sh750,000 to at least 1 million by next year,” she said.
Another beneficiary Ms Amina Bulle intends to use her savings to construct a house on her 50 by 100 piece of land so that she can direct her monthly rent to the saving initiative. She bought the land using loan from the group.
Although she had challenges during repayment, she says it was worth it as she now owns the property.
“At some point, I thought I would not manage to service the loan but it encouraged me to work hard and I finally managed it,” she noted.
Women Rights crusader and VSLA tutor Kuresha Bille says VSLA had empowered women and reduced cases of Gender-based Violence (GBV) as women can now comfortably support their families, thereby gaining recognition from men.
“A financially empowered woman is likely to speak up against a violation and this has seen men respect their women and support their saving initiative. It has also granted them access to resources and showed that even without formal education, women are good managers,” Ms Kuresha told The Press Point.
