There is need to empower community members so that their standard of living can increase and the poverty level in the communities can be reduced to the barest minimum.
There is also need to educate people on saving for the raining day so that they can take care of their families.
The activities HFDI conducted in 2014 for economic and empowerment programs are: Village Savings and Loans Association: Four new VSLA groups were inaugurated in Kwara, Ondo, Osun, Edo, Akwa-Ibom and Kogi states while there was continuation of activities of the former VSLA group who had continued their Savings Meetings.
HFDI with the support of the organization’s Board of Trustees and MSH procured VSLA tool kits for the new VSLA Groups. This gesture was highly appreciated by the management, Village Agents and staff of HFDI. The kits procured are as follows; stamp pads, inks, metal cash safe, padlocks, calculator, fines and money counting bowls, savings & social fund bags, packet ruler, copies of members passbook and stamp.
The VSLA activities in the Six states LGAs was conducted in in Kwara, Ondo, Osun, Edo, Akwa-Ibom and Kogi states with HFDI providing technical and materials to the groups for savings meetings and loan meeting. Since the inauguration of the VSLA groups the loans collected has been able to transform lives of its members, they can now boast of the fund to take care of their families and to grow their business and settle their bills on their own without having to borrow or beg for money to do so.
The caregivers’ life has become better due to the VSLA. The VSLA members have also imbibed the culture of savings that they are not doing before. The have found out according to Mrs. Abdurrahman that no matter what you are earning you can still save a little because of raining days. 1,350 caregivers have been so far empowered through the VSLA group and their lives have been changed for the better.
The caregivers are always very thankful to HFDI for bringing that kind of innovation to their communities and promised to carry on with the VSLA even if HFDI is not around to monitor them.
