By Rumbidzai Mbewe
Loice inside her humble kitchen in Chiredzi.
Today, that woman is a memory. After joining the Tinokunda Self Help Group, Loice has transformed into a new person. Her hair is now neatly styled, her clothes are clean and pressed, and she carries herself with a new sense of purpose.
Sharing her experience with The Christian Voice, Loice stated that the Self Help Group made her realise the importance of self-care and love. She said spending time with other women who have shared tips on how to maintain a healthy relationship with her husband and children was important.
“Nobody understood what was going on with me, but all the shabbiness and rowdy behaviour was due to the frustrations that come with poor living conditions and not being able to provide for your family,” she said.
She said that through the SHG, she is not only learning how to be a better person socially but also financially. Through the mukandos (Clubs) that we do, i have managed to save money to start my small project.
“My business is still small, but I am making profits. I sell tomatoes, and my kids do not sleep on an empty stomach. When you come back next time, you will find a different Loice with a much more vibrant business,” she said.
Loice is not the only one making new strides in Chiredzi. Yanayi Ganganwa, who runs an eatery at one of the busiest growth points, said she has seen her business grow. She started by buying and selling just one chicken at a time, reinvesting her daily profits to buy the next.
“Now the demand is so high that I buy a whole cow by borrowing funds from my group, The Achievers. If we did not have these money clubs, I wouldn’t be able to afford a cow with my sales alone. This growth is directly due to our savings. With such sales, I can buy my own grinding meal and start another business,” she said.
The impact of these savings scales from individual success to collective investment. The 17 groups in the area have accumulated collective savings ranging US$500 to US$2,500 from $1 savings every week. Forget Sande, a member of The Achievers, whose savings now stand at nearly US$1,900, confirmed the group's ambitious vision of acquiring assets that will bring more profits to the group.
One of the groups during their club sessions
“Our group savings are now at US$1,900, and we are now looking at having bigger investments. We are planning on acquiring land where we can plant cash crops and continue to boost our money as a group, besides our weekly savings,” she said.
These Self-Help Groups are proving to be a powerful engine for change, turning tales of despair into stories of a brighter future. They are also a testimony of personal healing to community prosperity.