Micro-finance
Introducing the incentive of spicing support group activities with economic empowerment through small loans was the best idea that has been received with positive indicators in almost all the 23 support groups because women could openly say it that they are economically independent and have a say even in their families. This is so because some of the women were not doing business, so they could only wait to get everything from the husband but now they can help by taking some responsibility in the family.
MASYAP micro finance has come a long way regardless of the challenges being faced. It gives great pleasure to see the programme achieving quite a lot in the shortest period it has been in the system. It is not only our vision but even the women want to see big business ventures taking place from the small savings they have been saving and that the programme be sustainable but with the current economic situation, some women are being left in deficit because of ever increasing prices. Some of these women joined the program during the devastating rains which saw many of the support group members’ houses falling down and this resulted in using the business money to repair houses
Despite all these women have demonstrated a logic of ownership of the programme as they are able to do group meetings to collect repayments and savings then bring the money to the office for reconciliation, we are seeing big potential in the women, they can do it.