Mayuni Maureen, 28 years old of Chikupili chiefdom, is married with 2 Children and has been saving in SILC since 2018. Through SILC, she has been able to sustain her businesses of selling second-hand clothes, fresh fish and groundnuts to Kasumbalesa boarder. With the groundnuts she sells at Kasumbalesa boarder, one 50kg bag of groundnuts gave her K960 and she sold 6 bags, thus K5760 was achieved. Her business model is in such a way that she analyses the situation in the community; during the rainy season, she sells food stuff and during summer she sells clothes and lotion. SILC has been able to improve her business because of the interest that is realised.

At 2019 share-out, she had K4, 010 after saving K3, 420, with this K4, 010 she managed to buy 28 iron sheets for K2 800 and the remaining money she used to buy agricultural inputs. Currently, she planted10 hectares of maize,10 acres of groundnuts and 10 acres of soya beans.

She has been managing to support her children to school, buying all the requirements needed (books, pencil, uniform and shoes). Each time her children go to school she packs some food for them.

With the 28 iron sheets she has purchased, she plans to build and roof a 3 bedroomed house, and also to buy more cattle so as to support her husband in his work. 

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Notes:

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SILC = Savings and Internal Loan Communities (known as a village bank)

 

SILC benefits women to have some economic independence which they invest in their families., where previously they were wholly economically dependent on their husbands or family.

Maureen has not only been saving and making profits from her enterprises, but she has received training in business skills. She has enough income to travel the 70kms to the local border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where there is cross border economic activity. She can provide three meals for her children (food is the economic indicator of household economy). Through their efforts and support, this previously subsistence family have transitioned from using a hoe for all agricultural activities, to a plough and animals. Not only can they cultivate more land (and become emergent farmers), they can hire out their animals so creating another business. Traditional rural houses are roofed with grass and corrugated iron sheets will

make their home more sustainable as thatching needs replacing and even the best tends to leak in heavy rain. The drying on the sheets are ground nuts (pea nuts). Everyone desires to have an iron roof!