Women, credit, and fiscal responsibility

Peace Corps really likes to push working with women. Which is great, I'm all for women. Especially if it means I can help them gain some financial independence and self-esteem.

FUNDESA is an amazing organization that reached out to my community's women's group about starting a grupo de ahorro. Women often get rejected for loans because they have little to no income, formal work experience, reading or writing ability, etc. Oh, and sexism is a problem, too. Savings groups help women put away small amounts of money like a savings account, but when one woman has an emergency and needs a loan she can ask the group to give her a credit from the total savings in the caja. The FUNDESA promotora visits every week for eight weeks to help establish the group's administration and elect internal rules. We're on week three and it's going very well.

I'm excited because money management is a huge part of my PC service. I'm piloting a fiscal responsibility class for youth in my community and I plan to tailor some of those lessons for the women's savings group. Fiscal responsibility, described as "living within your means, regardless of the level of those means," is hard, especially when you're trying to live on a few dollars a day. But the women genuinely want to learn how to use their money wisely so they can help their children make better choices in the future. Isn't that amazing!?

I'm so fortunate to have grown up with fiscally responsible parents. I have no idea how they managed to put themselves through college, all while working full-time jobs and raising the world's most perfect little angel. I'm assuming it had something to do with a lot of hard work and Republican bootstrap mumbo-gumbo. I love my parents from the bottom of my heart and I am so proud of them. Now I get to carry on the economic privilege they invested in me by living in a very poor developing nation! (Ok, that one mighta sent mom over the edge. Sorry!)

I accepted the role as Community Organization and Economic Development PCV thinking I'd use my PR background for the CO in COED. I'm finding out that I can do the ED half, too, and I can see the coveted change all PCVs yearn for in the women of this savings group. I gotta say, it looks pretty good:

The treasurer, promotora, and secretary leading the group in deciding the minimum savings required per week. They voted on $.50. 

The first woman to put savings in the caja! Woo!

Swearing to abide by the internal rules they voted on so the group can be successful.