Wake Up Farmers!

I met with a group of farmers a couple days ago. They were joined together to form a savings and loan group. They have been operating since December 2008 under the name ‘Wake Up Farmers”. They are all HIV positive. Savings and loan groups are part of current Peace Corps projects. Saving money is being encouraged in many places as a way for people to pull themselves from poverty. Because banks can be very far way and require fees, many small, local groups are being formed. There are procedures, rules, member lists, ledgers, a money box. They agree to meet weekly, biweekly, or monthly and always put in the same amount of money. For example a group could agree to save 500 francs every other week. Each member must attend every meeting and give their savings. The collection of money serves as a reserve for any of them to take a loan out of. They also choose which loans they’d like to give, the amount of time they have to pay it back, and the standard interest rate. The interest is also placed into the pot, allowing accumulation of funds. At the end of the cycle, generally one year, the money can be split evenly among the members. So they are gaining the structure of constantly saving a consistent amount of money plus the interest they accrued. Sometimes if groups save a large amount of money they open a group account at a bank so it can be stored safely.

Wake Up Farmers is not just a group of financial partners, they are also friends. They own a plot of land that was given to them by the government. Every week they meet to farm together. There is a small fund of money that is used for emergency funds. For instance if there is a death and funeral expenses need to be covered or if a member is sick and others would like to visit and bring them food. The social fund money can be used without being paid back, allowing a safety net for life’s surprises.

I was thoroughly impressed with the group. They understood the power they had to help themselves and we excited about future trainings they could receive to learn more. This is an amazing culture shift that I believe is rare. The significant presence of NGOs (non-government-organizations) in this country who provide handouts have created a dependency. Again the basic concept is very similar to the US. It is exciting to see a group of people embrace their future, no matter how precarious. It was a my first professional contact with the community and I love it!