The Sissala West district is one of the poorest places in Ghana, and women and children are particularly affected by this.

Women on the move

But in 15 communities there, Plan is empowering women financially by implementing a project called Village Savings and Loans Associations, which the locals know as ‘Mata Masu Dubara,’ or ‘Women on the Move.’

Women attending a training session.

Women form solidarity groups of 5 members, which then combine to make associations. Officers are elected, and members decide on constitutions which guide their activities. Officers are trained in basic record keeping, group dynamics and banking procedures.

Then women give weekly contributions towards a fund which can be used to loan money to members. Members also save a little each week.
All this means that women can access small loans at low interest rates, manage household cash flow, and profit from the interest rate charged to individual members.

Doing business, saving money

20 groups in Gwollu were trained in entrepreneurial skills to enable them to start businesses with their loans and manage and sustain them. They have also been able to get small bank loans, using the groups as security.

“We can now get loans at a lower interest rate. Before, we thought only men could do business with the bank,” said one of the members.

Groups have so far been able to save 7,291 Ghanaian cedis (more than 5000 US$). Of 526 members, 462 have benefited from loans.

From school fees to donkey carts

Around 50 women used their loans to pay their children’s school fees and about 300, like Biata, used it to ready their land for cultivating crops. She said: “Although we had women’s groups in Gwollu, they were not functioning until Plan Ghana came in with this intervention. We are happy and moving on well with our groups.”

Some groups have also bought maize, dawadawa seeds and shea nuts to sell at a profit.

A woman using her new donkey cart to travel to the market.

25 women have also purchased donkey carts with an interest free loan to be paid back in a year’s time. The carts provide a means of transport between the farm, the market and home, saving women and children from walking. A member said: “I can now go to Leo market and sell my goods without problems.”

Empowering women financially is letting them take steps to improve their family’s lives.