Scovia.

Background Information.

“I'm Scovia. I'm 21 years old. I am Teso from Suruti, but my parents and I are here, father and mother. My father works in town, he has wholesale business, deals in bags. My mom also sells eggs at the town. In total we are eight, was born just in Bweyale here, at Kiryandongo hospital. I did some course that was fashion and design. Now I'm trying to work, though it's not so easy. I used to just dream fashion. That was me always. I used to like fashion. When I watched TV, I admired the fashionists. That's what I strived hard for. That was me. That's what I always wanted.”

*Scovia, Chairperson, Shilom self-help group*

Birth of shilom self-help group.

“It was when I came back from school during the COVID . The Y Global had come there and sensitizing some members if they're willing to join group savings, so I had to turn up. But I said I said I'll be at home doing nothing, I need the money on other things I used to spend on. I didn't know anything about Y Global, but they came down to the community where the coordinator, I think is Mr. Alfred, he came down and got some members and was like, "I need you people to form a group." That is when we came up and chose leaders for the group. Those are the groups that are standing. This side, I think we are two groups. But we are all formed by him, because ourselves we could not sit and say, let's form a group, no. He's the one who did that work. Got one executive and, "Form a group of some members. It could be a boy or girl, as long as you form a group.”

“The saving is running on well. We're 15 members. We save every Saturday at 4:00, even just here. This is where we save from. For now I don't know the total, but we have the book, all records are there. But I don't know the total offhead. The saving group started June/July this year.It's mixed up with some guys, though they are few, but we are mixed up. We don't segregate. Whether it be a guy or a woman, no problem, as long as you're willing to save it's just the youth.All we know we're just trying to secure a future. We think ahead. We feel like if we start saving we can bring out something. If we set up a business, get out money, support ourselves. Yes, that is it. That's why we started the group. Not just for nothing, like starting the group, saving money and distributing, no, that is not it.”

What it means being part of this self help group

“Personally, I feel it's beneficial to me. It's not just something I'm passing as time, but it's beneficial, I need the money. That's why I concentrate on the saving, never miss. I always save because I need that money. I'm calculating ahead this saving, after some years, to be something great. We'll have something more than what it is right now. Even if we save, even me personally, though not by the whole group, I have other aims ahead I feel like I should start up something. We can as well start up something. We can make it just like as others have. For now that money is in a cash box that was given to us by the Y Global, and we're giving out loans. If someone comes for a loan, we ask the purpose of the loan. If it's a clear purpose, like motivating a business, we give out the loans and it comes back with some interest. Yes, that is it. “

“At least what limits it is what you want to do with it. You can't tell me you want one million yet you want to motivate some small business, I can't give out the money. When you tell me I want 500,000, I see what kind of business do you want to invest in that money. If you invest it, can you get back that money for me? Yes, that is it. If it's a big business, yes, I can give you the money. There's no limit. But what limit it is what you want to do with the money.”

“To me, the loan, it even helps us. The interest helps multiplying the money in the group. That money keeps growing. You get? When someone keeps money in the loan, okay, a member of our group, why would that person think of getting money in the loan yet there's money in the group? When the person gets money in the group and brings it back with the whole interest, I feel I develop that trust for that person. Yes. There is that trust that we develop amongst each other.He got one member and then told her about it, told her about what they need the group for, the saving, everything, then told her to sensitize other youth. That's how we came about.

Before the savings……

“Life wasn't that bad, though I used to, okay, spend money recklessly. Before these savings, just know any money I get I do with it anything I would like. I don't keep money. I didn't even have that idea, one time I should save money. Though I tried back then, but, of course, being my money, it's me keeping it, I pick it anytime I want to. This group helped us a lot. We put in money, you don't pick it anytime you want to. If you want to pick it, you pick it with loan. It has a loan. You know you have to take back the interest, so it's a bit tricky. It helps us keep that money. Back then I was so reckless. I had money, fine, I worked money, but the money was up to no good. Anytime I have it, I just think I have to buy such and such a thing, I have to buy such and such a thing. I didn't used to keep money. But this organization helped us, formed the group. Right now I feel like at least I'm keeping money. At the end of it all I can still have money, not like back before the organization.”

“Yes, we had some doubts, because the group is not about all people we know. Other people came from other places, we don't know them. We were not friends and formed ourselves as friends. There's this heart you feel like, even if I save my money, I don't trust the person keeping it. There was no that trust in between us just like it is right now. At least for now there's that trust, everyone is gaining trust, but back then you feel like, "If I really put this money, will I really get this money? Won't it get lost?" People used to turn up for the saving once in a while, others don't come. But at least right now they have gotten a bit serious. People come, people have developed that trust already.”

What kind of skills do you feel you've gained as the chairlady of the self help group?

“I've learned how to solve issues among members. Being a group like this, everyone has different mindset. Not everyone thinks the same. I won't deny the fact that we have always had challenges. But I've got that skill, no matter the challenge in the group, I have to calm it down because no one else can do that. We've always had challenges, but I've tried as much as I can to bring the members back together and to clear all those problems. At least I have that skill. I didn't have that courage to always do that. I didn't even have where to exercise that from. But being with these members, at least I do that, though once in a while.”

Future plans.

First of all, we plan to open a business with that money. We won't always keep that money just in a cash box for all that while. The money is multiplying day by day. We can't keep it there and do nothing, it won't multiply. We just plan to open a business, though we still haven't come together and be like, "This should be the business," but we always discuss that, keep trying like, "What if we do this, will it work out? What if we do this?" Yes, that is it. But we plan to open a business. We are still discussing on what businesses should be. That is quite challenging because other people say, "Let's try this." Others will be like, "Let's try this, let's try this." Yes, that is it. We try to weigh how profitable it is and how risky it is. We would rather not risk more. At least you take a business you know that this is profitable. But then there is the one you say, "This is profitable, but more risky." We put that aside. We don't want to risk. Though in business there's profit and loss, but we try hard at least to avoid those losses. There are other people who come up with some ideas but you feel like it's profitable, fine, but if it comes to the loss, the loss is so huge, can bring us down completely. We try to eliminate those, and try hard, like what kind of business is profitable? What kind of business brings out money? There are these seasonable, so you'll be like, "If I try this business, this one is seasonable." We can't do this because sometimes you get bored in the business, sometimes it motivates, sometimes you it gets bad, so we are trying to consider everything.”

Challenges.

“Y Global has always been helping us. They have done a lot to us and we really appreciate. But, as members, we also have some problems, challenges. Members have that money, we have to start a business, but the money at hand is not enough. The money is small. Our biggest challenge right now is money. People feel like we can start up this, but the money is not enough. To me, what I know the biggest challenge in that group is just about money.

*We used to spend money recklessly, you do any other things. But now at least you can say, "Let me keep this money, Saturday is coming for the saving-Scovia*

Benefits.

“The way I've benefited, just the same as she had said before. We used to spend money recklessly, you do any other things. But now at least you can say, "Let me keep this money, Saturday is coming for the saving." You plan more for the saving and the expenditure is not more as we used to do.You plan more for the saving and the expenditure is not more as we used to do.We had a training of three days where we were being lectured from 8:00 to 4:00 or 5:00 in the evening. They discussed a lot.”She mentioned that some of the things trained was on how to start a business as well as writing a business plan .”I don't feel like there's anything more they still have to put into us, because we really covered a lot. We always go there, at least, and lay down our problems. Recently we had yet no cash box, so we always went there, tell them our problem, how hard it is to keep the money. They worked hard and gave us the cash box. Now we feel our money is real safe because they gave us cash box, plus all three padlocks, and all the keys were handed over to us. We feel our money safe. It's metallic and branded on, I think, these writings on my t-shirt. Yes, they branded it. They painted white, yes, partitioned into three. The bigger one for the real savings, and another one for the fines, and another one for the welfare, the social fund which to us, helps these members. Someone can come up with a problem. Maybe someone has lost a relative, we can give out that money to the person and brings back with no interest. We put the money different. We don't mix it up, it's a bit confusing. Yes. We put it separate. In case anyone wants the money, we pick. If someone has come up with a problem and is going to bring out with no interest, we pick the one for the welfare. I won't interfere with the savings.“

Conclusion..

Another thing, Alfred said we had to register, I guess, at the district, or I didn't get him well. But we don't know even the process supposed to be taken. But we want to register for real, because, to the way he explained, it seems to be so important. We need that. We wanted him, at least, to come up and tell us the process so that we can also try to reduce them, because it's really important. To the way he told us, it's really important.”