The Women from Same Village
It was a joy to travel to the village of Same to meet the women entrepreneurs who have a peer lending group. There were 12 women who came to the truck and started singing to greet us. After the ‘ceremonial greeting’ they began to sing songs of joy and empowerment. It was amazing and magical to hear. They escorted us to our ‘meeting space’ which was an area under a large tree where there was a breeze (appreciated, since it was 34 degrees).
The women had come together eight years ago with a desire to improve their village. It was only four years ago that they became a peer micro finance group. They act very similar to a worker co-operative and have three ways of generating income … 1) making hats, bags, mats etc. out of straw/sisal ; 2) making bricks; and c)crushing rocks that they sell (bit bigger than gravel). Each woman can women can do all three things. They get together one day a week for the businesses and rotate who will do each area (i.e. 8 do bricks, 8 do rock crushing and 9 do straw braiding).
They work extremely hard with little return. They are able to make 1,000 bricks in 3 day and sell each brick for 100 Tsh. This means that for three days work, 25 women share $70. They also sell small rocks. They dig out HUGE stones from the ground and then hammer away at them until they are in small pieces. It is extremely hard labour. Once the women have enough to fill the back of a pick-up truck, someone will come and purchase the rock. They are paid 60-80,000 Tsh for the truck load ($35 to $56). Apart from the fact that this is physically hard labour for anyone, many of them do this with their babies tied on their backs.
After our meeting finished, they once again had a huge procession for us. Everyone was clapping, dancing and singing. They took us to one of the homes where they had prepared food. None of them ate – but we were well fed, including a few pieces of meat (a rarity). As we were leaving, there was the same procession but when we got to the truck everyone formed a circle and we all started dancing again …. taking turns to go into the centre. They were just full of such joy and celebration. I keep hearing how much I teach the women while I’m there – but they have absolutely no idea how much the reverse is true!
The women had come together eight years ago with a desire to improve their village. It was only four years ago that they became a peer micro finance group. They act very similar to a worker co-operative and have three ways of generating income … 1) making hats, bags, mats etc. out of straw/sisal ; 2) making bricks; and c)crushing rocks that they sell (bit bigger than gravel). Each woman can women can do all three things. They get together one day a week for the businesses and rotate who will do each area (i.e. 8 do bricks, 8 do rock crushing and 9 do straw braiding).
They work extremely hard with little return. They are able to make 1,000 bricks in 3 day and sell each brick for 100 Tsh. This means that for three days work, 25 women share $70. They also sell small rocks. They dig out HUGE stones from the ground and then hammer away at them until they are in small pieces. It is extremely hard labour. Once the women have enough to fill the back of a pick-up truck, someone will come and purchase the rock. They are paid 60-80,000 Tsh for the truck load ($35 to $56). Apart from the fact that this is physically hard labour for anyone, many of them do this with their babies tied on their backs.
After our meeting finished, they once again had a huge procession for us. Everyone was clapping, dancing and singing. They took us to one of the homes where they had prepared food. None of them ate – but we were well fed, including a few pieces of meat (a rarity). As we were leaving, there was the same procession but when we got to the truck everyone formed a circle and we all started dancing again …. taking turns to go into the centre. They were just full of such joy and celebration. I keep hearing how much I teach the women while I’m there – but they have absolutely no idea how much the reverse is true!