Soddo Mothers' Group Opens Bank Account

Mothers' Savings & Entrepreneurship Groups have long been an important part of our GGRF Athletic Scholarship program in Bekoji, thanks to the expertise of our local partner, SWDA.

We are pleased to share that the Soddo Mothers' Groups, which recently launched under the guidance of our Program Manager Kidist, quickly moved beyond just meeting for discussions to a more formal Savings Group. Read on for more details on this exciting addition to Girls Gotta Run programming! 

Since mid-December, our two Soddo Mothers' Groups -- 40 women in total -- have been meeting twice monthly. The groups have been busy, already hitting these milestones:

  • Choosing their group leaders - each has a Group Chair, Secretary, and Finance Chair, while the position of Discussion Leader rotates every meeting. 

  • Launching the Savings Group component:

    • The goal is for each woman to save 20 birr (about 40 cents) every session

    • Everyone has an individual passbook, or savings book, and records her own contribution. The photo above shows our Malala group proudly holding theirs.

    • The Finance Chair also records each deposit.

    • The Mothers have been inspired by personal stories from a local woman of how saving a small amount over time, while difficult, meant having access to funds for a hospital childbirth and launching of a micro-business.

    • Last week, on February 10, one group opened a joint savings account at the bank! The next group will open their own account by month's end.

  • By the end of 2023, possibly sooner, the goal is to have a mutual lending system to increase the women's economic self-sufficiency -- and provide much-needed income in a time of rapid inflation. 

    • Mothers will be able to borrow money to fund a micro-business or deal with an emergency - based on a proposal approved by the group

    • Each group will decide how much interest to charge; it will be small but this will provide accountability and help the savings grow.

As you know, we pride ourselves on the fact that Girls Gotta Run supports entire families and communities, and these Mothers' Groups are an example of that.

Thank you for making this amazing empowerment possible!

Girls Gotta Run