Bauchi: Mafita trains 60 women on Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs)

From Paul Orude Bauchi

A non-governmental organization, Mafita Women and Youth Development Initiative (MWYDI) is to train 60 women in Bauchi State on Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) in order to make them self-reliant.

The Executive Director of Mafita, Mrs Theresa Orude, made the disclosure during an orientation exercise on VSLAs organised by the NGO for 30 women in Lushi A community of Bauchi Local Government Area of the state.

Orude addressing the women of Lushi A during the training on VSLAs

Orude, in a welcome remark during the VSLAs orientation held at Lushi A Priamry School on Tuesday, said that project is expected to run for nine months.

She said the VSLAs project would be carried out simultaneously in Lushi A and Sabo Kaura communities in Bauchi Local Government Area with 30 women participants each.

“The essence is to empower women to save money in groups and eventually become self-reliant to support themselves and their families,” she said.

She lamented the high level of poverty in the country saying women and children are most vulnerable hence the need for such interventions.

A cross section of participants during the VSLAs training

“There was a case where a housewife in the state sold a big refrigerator at a giveaway price to settle bills for her sick son when she could not reach her husband who traveled,” she said.

“Little did that housewife know that she could have used that fridge to generate money by selling sachet water, kunu, Zobo drinks among others so that when an unexpected situation comes she and her children would not be caught unaware”

The Mafta founder said that the organization, which was founded in 2022, had been in the forefront of     empowering women and youth in the state with skills to become self-reliant for the development of the society

“The VSLA programme being carried out in Lushi and Sabon kaura is purely self-sponsored, that is why I am appealing to organiations and well-meaning individuals to support MAFITA to ensure that more women and youth lifted out of poverty,” she said.

In his remark, the head of Lushi A Community, Alhaji Muhammad Danlami, thanked Mafita for selecting the community for the intervention.

Danlami pledged that the community would support Mafita to ensure that the project succeed.

Mustapha Idris from Fahimta explaining the advantages of the VSLAs to the women

The traditional ruler urged the participants to make the most of the training in order to improve their well-being and that of the community.

In his remark while interacting with the participants, a resource person, Mustapha Idris, from FAHIMTA Women and Youth Development Bauchi, said that the VSLA was a powerful tool to empower women.

Idris urged the participants to take advantage of the VSLAs training by choosing a leadership among them that would be accountable and ensure that money saved was invested to boost the lot of participants.

He said the Fahimta had carried out VSLA s in several communities in Bauchi State that have empowered women beyond their wildest imagination.

He urged the participants to make the most of the VSLAs  formation by Mafita in their community to  empower them and accelerate  development of the community.