Delegates from 45 countries gather in Lilongwe for VSLA learning event
Minister of Gender, Community Development, and Social Welfare Jean Sendeza said the VSLA learning event has come at a crucial time when VSLAs have been a formidable force.
LILONGWE, Malawi — About 70 delegates from 45 countries have gathered in Lilongwe for a three-day Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) learning event aimed at sharing ideas, best practices, and knowledge to help transform communities and empower women economically, writes Judgement Katika.
Speaking on Monday during the opening of the event organized by CARE International, Director for CARE Global VSLA Team, Vidhya Sriram, said saving through VSLAs has helped many women globally to improve many areas of their lives.
“Seventy people from more than 40 countries from America, Africa, Asia, and Europe have gathered in Malawi because we want them to discuss how they can improve people’s lives, especially women, by engaging the VSLA model which is the saving culture across the globe,” she said.
Sriram said as CARE, their goal is to support VSLA members, their families and communities through scaling up of programs in response to the community needs to help them achieve their ambitions.
Interim Country Director for CARE Malawi Chris Mzembe said in Malawi, the organization is supporting women VSLAs to instill in them a saving culture and improve their livelihoods.
“CARE Malawi has worked in Malawi for 20 years and we have supported women through VSLAs. If all the VSLAs in Malawi are systematically connected and empowered, more Malawians will graduate from poverty,” he said.
In her remarks, Minister of Gender, Community Development, and Social Welfare Jean Sendeza said the VSLA learning event has come at a crucial time when VSLAs have been a formidable force and significant to the lives of many vulnerable Malawians.
“By joining VSLAs, women have improved numerous aspects of their lives, including the education of their children, their income, their access to healthcare, their participation in collective action and much more; this is a journey towards resilience,” she said.
Sendeza commended CARE for organizing the event that has brought together VSLAs practitioners from around the globe, which she said will not only discuss the VSLA model but also present key resolutions on how VSLA programming can be enhanced beyond the traditional model.