We’re so grateful for your donations this Harvest which will help to fund new Self Help Groups in Burundi! Because of you, more young people will rise out of poverty and begin to heal from trauma. Not only will your gifts change their lives, but they’ll transform their communities too. And as you’ll realise from the following story, the impact of your generosity will go further and last even longer!
Self Help Groups Change Lives and Transform Communities
We’ve been using Self Help Groups in our projects for years and they really are extraordinary. Because young people can’t access loans, have very low wages and have little financial education, they get trapped in poverty. Self Help Group members learn how to start small businesses, save money and take out loans. As a result, the young people have a regular income and become financially secure. The groups benefit not just their members, but the whole community, as new businesses help to grow the local economy.
The Self Help Group Ripple Effect
As if this wasn’t encouraging enough, something else remarkable is happening in the regions where we’ve been working. People are seeing the positive effects of Self Help Groups and are starting their own! After Cord established 100 Self Help Groups in 2023, throughout the provinces of Rumonge, Makamba and Rutana, a further 14 were set up by other community members – with no funding or direct support from our project.
One example is Twiyungunganye Self Help Group in Burunga Province, Rutana Commune. It has 29 members – 25 women and 4 men. They were given guidance from an existing group as their leader explains, “They have taught us how to organise a group and write down the operations related to saving and loaning.”
Outperforming the Groups that Inspired Them
Although they didn’t receive any financial support, the Twiyungunganye group is thriving. They earn money by cultivating their neighbours’ land. People are eager to pay because they have a growing reputation for excellent service and of working quickly. They invest the money in goats, which they breed, and in beans and maize crops. As well as selling them, the goats and crops provide food for group members. The leader points out that they now have more money than the group who helped them get started, “We have more capital than Dukorerehamwe because we have 96 goats whereas they have 75 goats, and we have 1 ton of beans and 1 ton of maize.” In the future they hope to buy their own land for growing crops and a mill for grinding maize. This will significantly increase their profits.
Life was very hard after my divorce. When I fell sick, it was difficult to pay for healthcare. But now, because of our joint savings, I can use money from our Self Help Group. I was virtually a beggar but now I can support myself and my children.
Perrine went from Begging to Boosting the Local Economy
You’ll have seen Perrine pictured on the front cover with Dismas, our Burundi Country Representative. Perrine and her fellow Self Help Group members are becoming financially secure. Their enterprise is boosting the local economy. They also have a great reputation for community work and helping those in need.
Thank you for being part of this amazing story of change. Your investment doesn’t just help individuals like Perrine to find hope and stability – it sparks something much bigger. Because of your generosity, people thrive, communities are renewed, and others are inspired to form their own Self Help Groups. What begins with one person’s transformation grows into a ripple that reaches families, villages, and whole regions!
