PEACE MOTHERS JOURNEY DAY FOUR VILLAGE ONE

December 20, 2012

Today we begin with a village in a section where one Peace Mother has created the best idea of all. It is working so well that Micheala has given this idea to other districts and sections. Two of them we visited in Koinadugu have started their own funds.

Revolving Loan Creator

It works like this: The first time the Peace Mothers from all the villages in this section got together the Peace Mother Chair presented the idea that each village contributes 50,000 SLL($11.63) making a fund totaling 700,000 SLL($162.79) This will become the seed money for a revolving loan system. They chose a couple of the villages to start and loaned them money to begin a business. At the next monthly meeting they bring back the original loan plus interest from their profits. 

In addition various fines were established. There is a fine of 5,000 SLL for being late to the monthly meeting and for missing the meeting. Plus, if someone is going to miss the meeting they will send a motorbike to get her and then she is liable for the 5,000 SLL fine AND the 20,000 SLL cost of sending the bike! Between the loan interest and the fines the 700,000 SLL original amount has grown, in a little over a year, to 5,230,000 SLL!!!

Now each village has a thriving cooperative business. Some sell palm oil, some rice, some groundnuts, and one village has a variety of businesses. They sell at markets or as human mini-markets along the road.

This large fund is available to anyone in the section who has a medical emergency and can’t pay or is short on money for school fees, etc. When it is determined they can pay it back, the money is given to them for their emergency along with a payment schedule.

Treasurer & I Dancing Vigorously :-)

The treasurer of this fund is an older woman who is quite a character. She tells her story. During the war her husband is killed and she is raped. Even though the village does not shun her because of the rape, she is too ashamed to come out of her house or join in any of the village activities.

Telling Her Story

The Peace Mothers of her village decide to make her their project. They council her, encourage her and little by little she becomes part of the community once more. Now she dances and clowns around making us laugh. She is a very valuable contributor to her village and the section.

This section decided to have a competition between the nursing mothers, the middle aged women and the elder women. They were each given a parcel of land to work growing either rice or groundnuts. The elders won! But the harvest was so successful on all three parcels the town chief gave them two huge parcels of land to farm. He told us he will give them more land if they want it.

Guess what they need to be able to accept the land and grow more product. Yes, Storage!!!!

The testimony to Fambul Tok from the Town Chief is a familiar theme: thanks to Fambul Tok they are productive, peaceful and unified. They are working together, are proud of the women and love partnering with them. They are also saving money by paying no fees to the courts for disputes.

Before the war women everywhere were very marginalized. Beatings of women and children was a common occurrence. Since Fambul Tok the beatings have stopped and the women are empowered. The men and women are working together as partners in the home and on the farms.

We are fed a delicious lunch, given bananas and a joyful send off to singing and dancing.

Much Love To You All,

Mom/Grandma/Sara