How Saving A Small Sum Changes Your Life

Mum of seven Tshey is the proud owner of a small shop, which provides for her family. It all started with just a small sum in savings.

In a rural Ethiopian community where many families live a precarious existence surviving on subsistence agriculture, increasingly at the mercy of unpredictable weather patterns, Tshey’s relative stability – and entreprenurial spirit – stand out.

It wasn’t always like this. Tshey’s life changed thanks to a women’s self-help group (SHG) led by our Ethiopian partners, which introduced her to the concept of saving.

“Before our group started, I did not have any knowledge about savings,” says Tshey. “But they called us together and trained us. I was amazed and started saving using their example. And not only to save, but they allowed us to borrow from them.

“I saved 50Birr (75p) per week at the group. I borrowed 3000Birr (£45) at first, next I borrowed 7000Birr (£105) We pay back in six months and all I borrowed I paid back. Now my business has grown, I save 200Birr (£3) each week, all towards my children’s expenses.”

Belgitu also benefitted from saving a small sum.

“Before I joined the group we suffered a lot,” says mum-of-two Belgitu, whose two boys are aged two and five. “We only grew teff (a staple cereal crop), but it was hard to earn anything or get enough to eat because the rains failed constantly. The SHG has been my safety net because when the crops failed I borrowed money to buy food. Without it we would have struggled more.”

Belgitu initially borrowed 2000Birr (£30) for food, but after saving with the group, next borrowed 3000Birr (£45) to start a baking business. She is currently making a profit of 25Birr (38p) per day and saving around 15Birr (23p) per week at the group. As a result, she has been able to pay 200Birr (£3) for her oldest son’s school fees. Belgitu has high aspirations for his future – she wants him to become a doctor and help his community.

Belgitu’s husband told our team: “She’s changed so much about our children’s education. She focuses on them. With the notebooks she received from the SHG, she forced me to send our son to school… Economically things have changed in the home.”

Tshey and Belgitu are just two of hundreds of women being helped through the SHG programme run with Global Care’s support. In 2020, we launched a four-year programme introducing SHGs to Koshe. In 2021, we extended our support to an existing SHG programme in Shashamene.

The SHGs help women learn to save and begin small businesses. This in turn stabilises family finances, reducing reliance on child labour. Then families can afford school fees and other essentials for their children. Last year, the Shashamene groups were funded through Children at Risk and other grant funding at a total cost of £4,244.