DR Congo: Savings transform and change the lives of the most vulnerable households in Kenge AP

By Didier Nagifi, Communications Officer  

Cécile Mwadi, 51, a member of the Saving Group Ngongolo, lives with her family in Kenge in the Kwango province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. She is delighted with the financial independence she has gained since applying the Saving Group approach. Previously, she struggled to feed her children and pay their school fees, unable to look after her family for lack of means. With an insufficient income, she led a precarious life.  

 "I've had a lot of difficulties in my life, I couldn't feed my family or look after my children and grandsons,” recalls Cécile Mwadi, "When my children fell ill, I couldn't take them to hospital because I had no money. Even paying their school fees was difficult, and I had no one to help me during that time of hardship," she adds.  

In order to reduce the vulnerability of this community, World Vision set up the Saving Group approach to help households increase their income.  Cécile, a member of the community, was made aware of the new approach. Like other women in a similar situation, she was trained by World Vision.    

 "When I heard that World Vision had set up the Saving Group approach in our community, I was very happy, and I quickly signed up. To better understand the Saving Group approach, I took part in the various training sessions that World Vision organised," explains Cécile.   

 The training sessions enabled Cécile to acquire skills in managing her income and savings. 

 "Thanks to our savings group, I've started to put everything I've learnt into practice. Thanks to my savings, I obtained a loan of 3,000,000 Fcs ($USD1250$) to start an income-generating activity. I bought a mill to grind maize and cassava", Cécile recalls with a look of amazement on her face.   

Access to credit was the start of a long journey for Cécile to become an independent, visionary woman. After earning her first income from her mill, she decided to branch out into other areas of activity to earn more money and ensure her financial independence.

 "All the money I made from grinding my customers' maize and cassava I saved in our Saving Groups. Thanks to my savings and the income from my activities, I decided to diversify my sources of income. I built two houses that I rent out, and every month I earn $100," says Cécile Mwadi.  

 Now Cécile is able to pay her children's school fees, pay for their medical care and meet the needs of her home.  

 "If I hadn't joined the Saving Group, I'd still be facing the same difficulties as before. Saving has helped me a lot. I've become wise and I'm starting to have money that will help me send my children and grandchildren to school. We eat well and dress well thanks to the approach that World Vision has implemented in our community. I would like to thank World Vision for initiating saving in our community and for transforming my life and the lives of my children", explains Cécile with great joy coming from her heart.   

Thanks to World Vision's support for local structures, 50 savings groups have been set up in AP Kenge. A total of 951 people (501 women and 450 men) are members of these different savings groups.