Oxfam has rushed aid to Liberia, airlifting 50 tons of relief supplies—such as water tanks, drilling equipment, and sanitation facilities—to assist 70,000 people.
"The border areas are dangerous, and living conditions there are desperately poor," says Chals Wontewe, Oxfam's country directory in Liberia. "There is an urgent need for transportation to help refugees move to camps further inside Liberia, where food and shelter can be safely provided. This needs to happen before the rainy season and further refugee flows make the challenge even harder."
Most refugees are staying with host families near the border, but conditions are dangerously inadequate, with most lacking adequate shelter, clean water, and basic sanitation. Oxfam will provide seeds and agricultural support to host families who by aiding refugees have jeopardized their own food security.
Donate now to Oxfam's Ivory Coast/Liberia Refugee Crisis Fund.
]]>“This development demonstrates the commitment of the people to make Ghana a model of sustained democracy founded on transparency and accountability” said Mohammed Amin Adam, the convener of the Civil Society Platform on Oil and Gas. “Ghana has no doubt set one of the highest standards for transparency in the management of her petroleum revenues, judging by the provisions of this law.”
This law requires the country’s Minister of Finance to reconcile quarterly petroleum revenue receipts and expenditures and submit reports to the Parliament as well as publish the reports in the newspapers and online. The law also makes provision for four different types of audits of the petroleum accounts, namely, internal audits, external audits, annual audits, and special audits as well as the submission by the Minister of Finance of an annual report on the petroleum account and the Ghana Petroleum Funds as part of the annual presentation of the budget statement and economic policies to the Parliament.
Apart from providing for ample public access to information on petroleum industry operations, the law provides for the establishment of a Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC) – a public-oriented body that oversees the management of petroleum revenues. This is in Clause 53 of the Law that proved highly contentious and one of the major talking points during the parliamentary debate on the bill. In November 2010, the Civil Society Platform on Oil and Gas issued a press statement and presented a petition to the Parliament when there was an attempt by the legislative body to amend the bill. The press statement read: “It has become worrisome that the members of the Joint Select Parliamentary Committees on Energy and Mines and Finance have proposed amendments to and deletion of some sections of the provisions for transparency, especially those that are critical for effective public oversight by the proposed PIAC.”
Passage of the bill is seen as a triumph for civil society activism. “Despite the delay in passing the bill, I would like to congratulate the entire civil society and the parliament for a job well done, especially by ensuring that all the transparency provisions were agreed upon by both sides of the house,” said Richard Hato-Kuevor, the Extractive Industries Advocacy Officer for Oxfam America. “Now that the bill has been passed, we hope the relevant structures would be put in place as quickly as possible to manage the revenues that will accrue to the state from the sector.” This position was corroborated by Adam. “It is refreshing that the Petroleum Revenue Management Bill which has now been passed addresses most of the transparency concerns of the citizens. Citizens now have the legal basis to demand transparency and accountability,” he said. In Zeba’s opinion, “This should not be restricted to oil and gas. It should be extended to all the extractive resources of Ghana, including industrial fishing, timber, and mining industries, and Ghana should champion this cause in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).”
The monitoring role of civil society is not finished, however. “Citizens must remain perpetually vigilant in spite of all the assurances in the bill and by the President of the Republic to transparently and honestly manage the petroleum resources,” concluded Adam.
]]>The president of the ECOWAS Commission James Victor Gbeho had during the Second Ministerial Meeting on the region’s Mineral Development Policy held in October last year in Monrovia, Liberia set up a 10-member ad-hoc committee to monitor the adoption and implementation of the directive by member states.
“We are supportive of the entire ECOWAS process in this regard and call on all other West African countries to comply” said Eva Kouka, Oxfam America’s Extractive Industries Program Officer for the West African Regional Office. “We expect the regional body to adopt the Regional mining Policy later this year, and by 2014 the Regional Mining Code.”
“This a major step forward for protecting the rights of affected communities in Ghana, where mining is so important economically and where communities have suffered such severe impacts” said Keith Slack, Extractive Industries Campaign Program Manager of Oxfam America.
The Directive which was enacted by the 62nd Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers held in Abuja, Nigeria in May 2009 places obligations on the mining companies to respect the rights of local communities. It provides, among others, in article 16, that “companies shall obtain free, prior and informed consent of local communities before exploration begins and prior to each subsequent phase of mining and post-mining operations; maintain consultations and negotiations on important decisions affecting local communities throughout the mining cycle”. Apart from the protection of the rights of the communities, the directive also aims at environmental protection and transparency and accountability in the mining sector.
“I would like to congratulate the government of Ghana for adopting this directive” said Richard Hato-Kuevor, Oxfam America’s Extractive Industries advocacy officer in Ghana. “Even though this is a bold step on the part of the government, I hope it is not the end. Measures should be put in place to ensure that these laudable principles are enshrined in our mining code for the benefit of all, especially communities affected by mining”.
Mass poverty in West Africa starkly contradicts the abundance natural resources including highly priced minerals. Oxfam America has been working in tandem with some local organizations in the region to ensure transparency and accountability and the protection of human rights in the operations of extractive industries. Recently, civil society organizations in Ghana under the umbrella of The Civil Society Platform on Oil and Gas issued a statement raising concerns about the intention of some interests in the legislature to amend some key clauses in the proposed Petroleum Revenue Management Bill 2010 that provides for a citizens-based transparency and accountability framework for ensuring transparent management of petroleum revenues. “We are disturbed about the absence of transparency provisions in the bill especially as regards bidding process for oil blocs” said Mohammed Amin Adam, the convener of the group.
As the bill is being voted, Oxfam America and its partners in Ghana expect the legislature in the country to complement their efforts in ensuring the existence of the necessary legal framework for good governance in the extractive industries.
]]>Oxfam is deploying a team of aid experts and preparing to provide clean water, sanitation, and hygiene supplies to refugees in Liberia. Conditions for refugees and host communities in the border areas are very poor, with people receiving inadequate assistance.
“This could become Africa’s latest forgotten crisis. Thousands of civilians are fleeing for their lives yet the international community is failing to respond adequately. The world risks being seriously unprepared for the escalating crisis in West Africa,” said Chals Wontewe, Oxfam’s Country Director in Liberia.
“For more than three months now, the people of Ivory Coast have been living with the threat of violence, intimidation, economic collapse, and sexual assault. The situation is now deteriorating rapidly and urgent action is needed to avert a humanitarian crisis.
“The conditions for refugees and communities hosting them in Liberia are extremely worrying. People are in dire need of the very basics—clean water, food, and shelter,” said Wontewe.
The large influx into Liberia is already putting a severe strain on poor villages, forcing camps and transit centers to be set up, mainly in Nimba county in eastern Liberia and further south along the Ivory Coast-Liberia border.
The crisis in Ivory Coast caused by the contested presidential election in November 2010 has resulted in months of instability and a steep increase in violent clashes in the past week. As well as rising political and military tensions, many banks remain closed, prices of basic goods are rocketing, and more than 500,000 people have lost their jobs.
“The next few weeks will be crucial. Governments, the UN, and aid organizations must respond to the increasing need and ensure relief supplies reach eastern Liberia before the rainy season starts to hamper access,” said Wontewe. “The situation is quickly deteriorating and requires a rapid response.
“This must not be allowed to develop into another forgotten crisis. Growing humanitarian needs will require much more attention than they are getting at the moment, and must be backed up by significant funds and resources.”
]]>This is an important step in the on-going effort by the ECOWAS member nations to adopt a uniform policy that will standardize the social, environmental, and financial requirements for mines in West Africa. Oxfam America has encouraged this effort because it will require mining companies to obtain the consent of local communities before mines can be established or expanded, and give communities a meaningful role in decisions. After member countries revise their laws, mines will have to comply with more stringent requirements for the environment, and financial transparency.
The committee will also make recommendations on measures to be taken for the effective implementation of the directive and also ensure that it is published in the National Gazette of member-states, a way for the government to show an official commitment to the directive. Senegal has taken the lead by remaining the only member-state to have published it in the National Gazette.
In the same vein, ministers responsible for mineral resources development in the region have recommended the establishment of a permanent forum to deal with matters affecting the mineral sector. This is a major decision at a recent one-day meeting of ministers know as ECOWAS Minerals and Oil Forum (ECOMOF).
Commenting on these developments, Oxfam America’s Coordinator for Extractive Industries Program at its West Africa Regional Office in Dakar, Senegal, Ibrahima Aidara commends ECOWAS for the laudable initiative but decried the lack of adequate representation of civil society organizations.
“ECOWAS should widen the scope of consultation to all stakeholders including civil society organizations and representatives of mineral-bearing communities to make public policy formulation more participatory, inclusive, and democratic,” he says. “This will guarantee the protection of the rights of the communities and individuals directly affected by the activities of the extractive industries in the region.”
West Africa is replete with a rich diversity of mineral resources, but weak governance structures, corruption, injustice, and political instability have conspired to leave the vast majority among the poorest in the world. The president of the commission, James Victor Gbeho, says the ECOWS directive will have significant effects: “It is necessary to introduce norms and standards that would ensure, at once, the protection of the environment, social impact, harmonious labor relations, sustainable community development plans, and equitable land rights regime and transparent management of natural resources.”
Oxfam America through its Extractive Industries Program and working with its partners has been at the forefront of pushing for reforms in the extractive industries sector in the region to ensure the protection of human rights and the reduction of poverty.
]]>The company previously had lost a court case to Manu when she was accused of trespassing onto what she explained was her own farm land. After hearing of her complaints over the loss of her palm tree, the company immediately opted to negotiate paid compensation rather than defend itself in a messy court case.
In a community where many facing situations such as Manu’s would have resigned to fate, it is seen as a triumph for human rights awareness and activism for Manu to insist on adequate compensation. She negotiated for and actually got paid the sum of 500 Ghanaian Cedi (about $350) for her loss. This is the highest sum ever paid as compensation for the loss of any crop in Ghana.
“The company knows that I know my rights and so they are very careful when dealing with me,” said Manu.
Ghana’s chamber of mines, an association of mining companies, generally sets levels of compensation in such cases. Normally, this body recommends payment of five Ghanaian Cedi (about $3) for a palm tree.
Instead, Manu demonstrated that palm trees are very important to the livelihoods of the people of Dumase because of their multiple uses—namely they produce palm oil, palm kernels, sponges, brooms, palm wine, and palm fronds.
“We have a cause to fight for and a goal to achieve,” says Manu. “Sometimes people are not happy with what you are trying to achieve, but you shouldn’t let opposition stop you.”
Ghana, like most of West African countries, is home to abundant mineral resources. But this has not reflected on the lives of the vast majority of people who remain poor. Oxfam America has been working through its partners like the Wassa Association of Communities Affected by Mining (WACAM) in Dumase and other communities to enlighten and empower local people to assert their rights when interacting with mining companies.
“Manu has, in fact, fought against the injustice of miners and their Compensation Committee,” says Daniel Owusu-Koranteng, the Executive Director of WACAM. “She upheld her right in line with the provisions of the Mining Act.”
Manu is one the beneficiaries of WACAM’s training programs and regularly puts her newfound knowledge to good use.
“It’s important to empower women in mineral-bearing communities so that they can gain skills, confidence and the ability to make decisions about their lives,” says Eva Kouka-Quenum, Oxfam America’s West Africa Extractive Industries Program Officer.
]]>Diop is a grandmother who lives with 15 members of her family in the city of Pikine, Senegal. When late summer rains pounded the region, this low-lying city fared badly. Its poor neighborhoods lack proper drainage, and the city has become an urban lake. In Diop’s house, every room but one is submerged in the still waters of a flood that acts like it’s here to stay.
“Since 2005, we have been suffering from the floods, but we have never seen anything like what is happening this year,” says Diop.
The nearby marketplace is under water, too, so for people who make their living by trade, incomes have vanished. And for the many who, like Diop and her family, buy their provisions day to day as they can, there are practically no stores of food in their homes to fall back on.
Health is a worry, as well: the latrines that are now deep in floodwater are slowly releasing their contents into the streets and schools and homes of Pikine, setting the stage for outbreaks of diarrheal and skin disease. And the standing water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes which, in malarial regions like this, pose serious threats to health.
Oxfam has joined forces with Eau Vie et Environment, a Senegalese partner organization, to assist 28,000 people affected by the floods in Pikine. We are removing water from homes, pumping waste from latrines before it flows into the streets, and distributing soap and other hygiene materials to help residents protect their health under these difficult conditions. For those in greatest need, we are also distributing small sums of cash to enable them to buy essentials for their families.
“Our goal is to provide immediate relief to those who need it most but also to address the longer-term problem of drainage with the local and national authorities whose job it is to prevent disasters like this,” says Oxfam’s Dawit Beyene. “No one should have to live in standing water.”
]]>Millions of people in the region—including Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso-- have confronted food shortages as a consequence of erratic rains in 2008 and 2009 that led to poor harvests, withered pastures, and a lack of water. Widespread poverty has compounded those challenges.
For many, the difficulty in the weeks leading up to the this year’s harvest in October and November is particularly acute as they have exhausted not only their food supplies but have sold off assets, such as livestock, in an effort to feed their families.
While Niger has been at the epicenter of the crisis, with about seven million people facing hunger—almost half its population--forecasters are now predicting a solid harvest for the country, even as flooding wiped out some fields and killed many heads of livestock. And a good distribution of rains in Burkina Faso has meant the crops are growing well there, also.
But robust harvests won’t ease the strain for many families who have gone deep into debt trying to feed themselves. One good harvest will not be enough for them to recover.
Additionally, some families have not been able to plant at all: They had no choice but to eat the seeds they intended to sow.
For herders who rely mostly on their animals for food and income, the rains have restored the grass in their pastures, which in turn has improved the health of their livestock. As cattle and goats grow stronger again, their value goes up, giving owners more purchasing power in the local markets.
Families who earn their living from crops grown in rain-fed fields, however, continue to struggle.
“For non-pastoralist communities who depend on a good harvest, we have not yet seen the end,” said Oxfam’s West Africa emergency coordinator, Philippe Conraud, speaking to the IRIN news agency about Mali. “We are still in the peak of crisis, and emergency activities need to continue.”
The problems in Chad are particularly worrisome. About 60 percent of the households, or 1.6 million people, in the western part of the country are grappling with a severe food crisis. For those suffering from malnutrition, access to care can be a challenge: Some patients have to travel more than 120 miles to reach health facilities.
The prices of basic commodities in the markets continue to rise and overall food prices are at least 35 percent higher than the five-year average. Additionally, with the arrival of the rainy season, floods have affected more than 100,000 people in nine regions of Chad, destroying homes and wrecking crops. And now there is a new threat: cholera. Hundreds of cases have been reported.
Oxfam, which has helped more than 600,000 people snared by the crisis, is calling for a scaled-up response now—and over the long-term.
“Many people have lost everything due to the severity of the crisis. They have lost their livestock, their livelihoods and are now in excessive debt,” says Dawit Beyene, Oxfam America’s deputy director of humanitarian response. “We need flexible and predictable funding to support the development of national social protection systems and sustainable livelihoods, and to increase the provision of essential services to prevent future crises.”
In Chad, Oxfam has been helping people in the Sila and Guéra regions by distributing food and running agricultural and livelihood support projects. In Niger, the ganecy has organized the distribution of food and fodder, provided cereals at subsidized prices, distributed seeds, and bought weakened livestock from herders at above-market prices, distributing the meat for free to the poorest families. And in Mali Oxfam has been distributing food and animal feed as well.
“The situation in West Africa may seem impossibly complex and difficult to solve but if only the international community would invest in long-term predictable development work we could make sure families are a lot less vulnerable to shocks in the future,” says Raphael Sindaye, Oxfam’s deputy regional director in West Africa.
]]>This is the reality of hunger in the Sahel region of West Africa, where more than 10 million people are now in the grip of a food crisis triggered, in part, by patchy rainfall last year thatled to a plunge in the production of cereals. In Chad alone, the cereal harvest fell by 34 percent. And pasture—critical for the well-being of the region’s livestock on which many families depend for food and income—is severely lacking because of the poor rains.
But the increasing intensity of seasonal droughts is not the only source of the problem. A lack of investment in agriculture and herding, and insecure land tenure also play a role in the suffering some of the world’s poorest people endure.
In Niger, where the crisis stalks more than seven million people, the country’s youngest children are among the hardest hit. IRIN, the UN news agency, reported in late June that acute malnutrition rates among children younger than five in Niger had spiked 42 percent higher than they were this time a year ago—to nearly 17 percent. That means almost half a million children are acutely malnourished, according to IRIN. Many others—almost half of Niger’s children—live with chronic undernourishment, said IRIN.
Other countries are affected by the food crisis, too: Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, northern Cameroon, and northern Nigeria.
Early warning systems revealed last fall that the Sahel was headed toward trouble, but the alarms failed to rouse a robust regional and international response. The amount of emergency assistance has, so far, been insufficient to meet the large-scale needs of the region. The West Africa consolidated appeal—a joint humanitarian fund-raising effort by groups working in the region, including the UN—is only 36 percent funded. The appeal includes support for food security activities in Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Mauritania. About $69 million is needed to respond to the emergency in Niger alone. In Chad, the World Food Program needs almost $20 million to respond to rising food needs.
With the next harvest months away, and the approaching rainy season threatening to impede delivery of assistance to more remote areas, concerns of farmers like Fadoul Acheul are growing more acute. He is a 53-year-old father of eight children living on the outskirts of Mongo in Chad and has run out of options that could help tide his family over.
“The mango trees haven’t borne fruit this year, so we can’t sell those,” he said in April. “Also, there isn’t enough water to maintain our family orchard.” The family had used up its store of cereal a month earlier and was relying only on the income Fadoul’s wife made by selling a few items in the market.
The day Fadoul lamented his dry orchard was the day he had to make a decision—the same one many families now confront: selling their livestock. To get food, Fadoul sold his last ram, fetching just enough money to keep his family going for another week.
“Five years ago, the world ignored the warning signs from Niger, failed to act rapidly, and lives were lost,” said Mamadou Biteye, an Oxfam regional director in West Africa. “The international community cannot make the same mistake and again condemn many children to an early death.”
Oxfam has launched an emergency program to provide support to 800,000 people across Niger, Mali, and Chad. In Niger, the organization is helping 400,000 people by distributing food and supplies to the poorest households. Oxfam is also buying weak livestock at above-market rates to help herders who need to sell some of their animals. Meat from the livestock is being distributed to some of the most vulnerable households. In Mali, the organization will help 200,000 people by distributing food as well as fodder for livestock. And in Chad, distributions of food and seeds are accompanying agriculture support projects, with a goal of helping 200,000 people.
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The media in Ghana are reporting that representatives of all the main political parties in Parliament are sufficiently concerned about the anticipated $1 billion in additional revenue in 2010 that they issued a communiqué calling for the government to stop issuing any new licenses for oil production until it can improve its regulations for the oil industry and clarify how the money will be managed.
An article in the government-owned Daily Graphic newspaper said that the members of Parliament “argued that less than one year before the drilling of the country’s oil in commercial quantities, there was not a single law before Parliament on how the country would manage the oil fields and the expected revenue as well as how to ensure that the environment was not damaged by the companies.”
The communiqué urged the government to use oil money to diversify its economy, and avoid an over reliance on oil that has been so disastrous in other countries in Africa. The communiqué also pointed out that Ghana needs to beef up its tax revenue agency to ensure oil taxes are properly collected and available for social programs to benefits its citizens. The members of Parliament called for the government to use 80 percent of oil funds to improve the “physical and social infrastructure” of the country, save 10 percent for future needs, and use the other 10 percent for stabilizing the budget.
In early 2009 Oxfam America and the Integrated Social Development Center of Ghana (ISODEC) issued a report called Ghana’s Big Test that recommended the country halt new licenses and disclose details of licenses and agreements it makes with oil companies as a means to increase transparency. Following the release of this report, Ghana’s new president John Atta Mills committed to do this, and also said the country would take steps to promote new and better regulations and foster open and public procedures for issuing licenses and setting policies.
To date, the government has not followed through on its commitments to disclose petroleum agreements, despite continued calls from civil society and parliamentarians to do so. Oxfam partner organization ISODEC has continued to promote opportunities to implement recommendations from the report. Steve Manteaw, campaigns coordinator at ISODEC, says that, “Ghana must control the pace of petroleum sector development so that it does not outstrip the capacity of the government and society to build institutions, regulations and standards.”
“The communiqué issued by the members of Parliament, cutting across Ghana’s political spectrum, emphasizes the importance of transparency and responsible management of oil revenues,” says Ian Gary, Oxfam America’s senior policy advisor and author of the Ghana’s Big Test report. “It will be vital for the government to fully consult with members of Parliament and the public at large on the legal framework for regulating the sector and managing revenues so that strong safeguards are in place before oil starts to flow.”
]]>But a hungry child exists in a larger context: if we nourish communities, they can nourish their own children.
The woman on our cover, Fatou Doumbia, and other women in her village in Mali, pooled their resources last year. They set aside nearly a ton of millet as a defense against the hunger they’d seen as food prices spiked. Hers is another face of hunger: determined, resourceful.
After the last harvest, Oxfam reached out to supporters to respond to the food crisis. We’ve devoted much of this issue to looking at what communities have done to avoid the kinds of hardships they confronted. When people living in poverty are hit by a food crisis or natural disaster, they lack resources to tide them over.
Oxfam works to help people build their resilience. Let respect and hope fuel your efforts to support women like Doumbia.
]]>Achieving farm resilience requires building up the resilience of vulnerable farmers by developing their skills, expertise and voice while supporting their use of agro-ecological farming practices. Building resilience depends not just on how farmers manage resources, but on how well local, national, and global institutions support farmers. Agro-ecological practices can empower vulnerable small-scale farmers, offering them both greater control over their lives and an accessible means of improving their food security, while decreasing their risk of crop failure or livestock death due to climate shocks. Vulnerable farmers can use agro-ecological practices to build resilient farms and improve their livelihoods, achieving multiple benefits: 1. improved food security; 2. adaptation to a changing climate; and 3. mitigation of climate change.
People-centred resilience consists of five principles which should guide how investments in vulnerable farming communities are designed and implemented. They are:
Following these principles ensures that investments support farmers in their efforts to become food-secure and adapt to climate change. Four institutions central to delivering people-centered resilience are: secure land rights; dynamic farmer associations; responsive agricultural advisory services; and public support for environmental services.
]]>“Since I started with the group, my mind is more open,” she says proudly in front of her small home of mud bricks on a warm, windy March day. “I can manage lots of different things now.”
And she does. Inside her house she has little packages of spices she sells, along with smoked fish, on the dusty streets of Domba, her town in southern Mali. Once a week she goes to the market and sells there, but she has plenty of clients in her neighborhood, and she just goes door to door.
Mariko, who is 64 and has eight children, raises and sells chickens and shea nuts (which are processed into shea butter). Since she joined her Saving for Change group, she says she manages her shea nut business completely differently. “I don’t just sell my shea nuts for whatever I can get,” she says proudly, with the air of an experienced trader. “Now I know to wait until prices are higher, and I can get more money.” She says she appreciates having money for emergencies, to help sick relatives, or to pay for weddings or funerals.
Mariko is just one of 25 women in the Saving for Change group in Domba. They named the group Ikidia, the word for harmony in the local language, Bambara. The group was established in 2007, two years after Oxfam America launched its Saving for Change program in Mali. This group, like the 7,019 other groups in 2,625 villages in Mali, is organized to help women save their own money in a safe place and make loans to each other from a common fund at 10 percent a month. Each member makes a deposit each week (it is roughly 50 cents), and the group saves, loans, and makes interest on the group funds. Since women in rural Mali rarely finish school, they don’t keep elaborate written records. Each woman keeps track of her own and one other member’s loans and payment schedule, a sort of financial buddy system. And they all remember the total in the cash box at the end of each meeting.
Once a year the amount saved plus interest earned is divided up equally among the group members. The funds are usually disbursed right before the harvest, when families in this agricultural area are most financially stressed. The Ikidia group fund disbursed about $46 to each member at the end of the first year. Soumba Doumbia, the group’s president, says she used this money to pay all the school fees and buy clothes and books for her seven children, who were just heading back to classes.
There are now 250,000 people involved in Saving for Change groups in 6,000 villages in Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso, El Salvador, and Cambodia. Collectively, these groups have saved over $4 million, and the average participants earn 20 percent annually on their deposits.
This rapid growth, achieved in just four years, is remarkable, says John Ambler, Oxfam America’s senior vice president for programs. “A traditional microcredit institution might take eight or 10 years just to reach 10,000 borrowers,” he says. One reason why Saving for Change is taking off so quickly is because women can form groups with fellow villagers in which they save and invest their own money. The groups need not have any relationship with a microfinance institution like a bank. This is helping the program reach the poorest women who would not otherwise be able to borrow money. Most banks consider them to be too big a risk.
Once Oxfam and our partners start one group in a village, others can form on their own, with little or no outside support. On average, it only costs Oxfam about $20 per Saving for Change member to start and train a group to manage its own operations. Women who learn how to form a group can then help others in nearby villages do the same thing, at no additional cost to the program.
If Saving for Change continues to grow at the current rate, the number of participants should double in the next two years. Doumbia says the Ikidia group members are benefiting not just from increased income, easier access to credit, and all the material improvements. They are also building self-confidence and dignity. “Before this group, if we had money problems, we would ask our friends for help, but they could not always say yes,” Doumbia says. “We would have to go into nearby towns and borrow money. We had no hope.
“But now we can find money to solve our problems through the group.”
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