Attah Sisters Helping Hand foundation (ASHH), Bauchi state, has trained 50 women and sexual gender-based violence (SGBV) survivors on Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA) in the state.
Mr Kingsley Yalling, Programme Officer of the foundation, stated at the training session of the beneficiaries on Saturday in Bauchi, that the beneficiaries are from Dambam and Gamawa Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the State.
He said the VSLA is a project that would empower women and provide simple savings and loan facilities in their community that does not have easy access to formal financial services.
The 50 Women beneficiaries include SGBV survivors from Dambam and Gamawa LGAs and were aimed to improve their financial independence.
“Twenty-five women from each of the two local government areas were trained on the methodology of VSLA and encouraged to save their earnings weekly or monthly,” he said.
Mr Yallings explained that the purpose of the training is to increase household financial assets through savings and loan education and meeting.
“To provide participants with simple savings and loans knowledge in a community that does not have easy access to formal financial services.
“It is also intended to provide poor households with a secure place to save, the opportunity to borrow in small amounts on flexible terms, and an affordable basic insurance,” he said.
He noted that the beneficiaries were taught about group leadership, transparency and loan management.
The Programme officer pointed out that the foundation is supported by actionaid to empower the 50 beneficiaries with skills of village saving loan associations.
Malama Hajara Shehu spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries and expressed their gratitude for being part of the beneficiaries of the skills empowerment programme.
She said that the training was clear to them and they are ready to elect their leaders to start immediately.
Shehu said the training would avail them the opportunity to save and engage in businesses that would improve their livelihood.
“We will categorise our savings groups that are self-managed of 15 to 25 people that meet regularly and save our money in a safe space and obtain emergency loans,” she said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) is a group of people who meet regularly to save together and take small loans from those savings.
(NAN)