Empowering Women to Reduce Extreme Poverty

Clarice Cabanlit

CAMALIG, Albay – About 1,000 women in the municipality of Camalig in Albay regularly meet each week in small group settings to discuss money issues. They are not top executives nor are they business managers. They are wives and mothers who have a single goal in mind – that is, to free their family from poverty.

This initiative is based on the Self Help Group (SHeG) Approach that was introduced in the Philippines by Kindernothilfe (KNH), an NGO (non-government organization) founded in Germany. It is based on the idea that conventional development aids do not usually reach the “poorest of the poor” because they are often viewed as the group that is hopeless to achieve any change.

 

In the Philippines, a large percentage of the population is poor, yet their voices are rarely heard. It is exactly this target group that the SHeG Approach wants to focus on. By supporting marginalized populations, it hopes to strengthen them. More specifically, the approach is directed at women who, in many communities, are often neglected and burdened with the responsibilities of singlehandedly managing their homes.

This approach is a way to bring together “voiceless, powerless and vulnerable” women and empowering them to make a difference. By making them aware of their rights, responsibilities and potentials, they are strengthened in economic, social and political aspects.

They are not given any material assistance such as food or money. Instead they receive capacity-building training and other support measures to strengthen them. The goal is to break the “dole out mindset” and to help them to help themselves using whatever it is that they have in hand.

SHeG in Camalig

Following the success of the SHeG approach in the municipalities of Lobo and San Juan in Batangas, the Bicol Center for Community Development (BCCD), under the leadership of Ms. Ruby Desolo, wanted to try implementing the program in Camalig, Albay. Armed with success stories of SHeG in other places coupled with a bagful of hope, BCCD set out to do their task.

At the onset, they were met with skepticism as the SHeG approach was deemed to be impractical in addressing the root causes of disempowerment and poverty. It was a challenge to introduce an entirely new concept to people who are used to being handed outright financial assistance. But after weeks of persuading and convincing, their efforts finally paid off – one of the barangays in the municipality agreed to the implementation of the program in their community.

The next step was to identify the families that needed help the most. Participation of the community women was vital in the needs assessment process as they were the ones who knew the conditions of the families in their area. Using their own criteria, the community helped BCCD identify the poorest of the poor – the target group for the program. 

Growth was slow in the first year as women were skeptical about the purpose of the SHeGs. Some of them had the preconceived notion that it was just another micro-lending company, another scheme that will bury them deep down in debt.

Eventually, as they have seen the success of the initial groups, more women became interested in organizing a SHeG in their area. Original groups have “given birth to new ones”, increasing the reach of the program.

The Growth

 

 

Currently, there are 50 SHeGs in Camalig, with each group composed of 14-20 women voluntarily meeting each week to make regular savings contributions ranging from five to twenty pesos. The amounts they contribute may seem insignificant, but for these women, it is the start of something bigger.

All collected funds are lent back to members every week. Loan amounts are agreed upon by the members themselves. Some borrow 100 pesos while others borrow 500 pesos. Loans are used either as capital for small business ventures – usually for selling native delicacies or putting up a sari-sari store (convenience store) – or for spending on household needs such as food and other basic necessities.

During school season, loaned amounts usually go toward school fees and other miscellaneous expenses such as baon (school allowance) and pamasahe (transportation allowance).

In Barangay Bariw, Inggay, a member of Home Along The Riles (Railroad) SHeG, received a loan in March 2013. As a widow struggling to make ends meet for her family, receiving a loan at low interest rates is such a blessing. She used the money to pay for her daughter’s graduation fees. Seeing her daughter graduate was a milestone for her and her family. And her SHeG was instrumental in making this happen.

 

 

Not only has Inggay’s SHeG helped her financially, but it has helped her find friendships which have significantly helped her get over her husband’s death. “Malaki ang naitulong ng SHeG sa akin, lalo na nung nawala ang asawa ko” (SHeG has helped me a lot, especially when my husband passed away), she said.

Not just about the money

BCCD provides training for the SHeG members so they are able to run their meetings on their own. Some of the trainings they provide are financial recording, savings and credit management, and even conflict management and resolution. Every member has a chance to be a moderator, the person who presides over meetings, or to be a book writer, the one who does the financial recording. There is no room to be passive in SHeGs.

Policies are defined by the members themselves so each member has a say in the decisions that are made by the group. They determine their rules for attendance, loans, interest rates and penalties. Their weekly meetings are venues for exercising their decision-making skills.

During discussions, conflicts arise. But these women are equipped with the skills needed to manage and resolve them effectively. They are learning to accept their similarities and respect their differences.

They are also trained to see themselves as main players in their communities. They are encouraged to take active part in identifying solutions for the needs in their barangays.

 

 

In Barangay Baligang, the Dove SHeG has already made significant contributions to their community. In less than a year, they were able to help build stairs and canals for their area, and committed to help clean their chapel regularly. They’ve negotiated with their barangay officials about putting up the money for some of their projects, while enlisting their husbands as laborers. They wouldn’t have been able to do all these if it wasn’t for their SHeG.

Not only have they become friends, but they now see each other as fellow adventurers in this journey called life. “At least, nakakapag-relax ako pagkatapos ng isang linggo. Yung may kakuwentuhan lang” (At least, I am able to relax after a tiring week, just sharing stories with someone), quips 80-yr old Francisca Magdasoc, the oldest SHeG member.

Women Empowered

The entire program believes that the sustainability of development depends not on outside interventions but on the abilities and potentials of the participants. The spotlight is not on the ones organizing but on the ones being organized.

Manay (title for an elder woman) Alma was one of the first few women who joined a SHeG. There is nothing striking about her appearance, but when you see her, the first thing that you will notice is her humility. She speaks so softly that it’s easy to miss what she’s saying if not for the wisdom of her words. This façade of gentleness and calmness hides within it a deep wisdom that is not a product of schooling but of a lifelong passion for learning.

Four months into her membership in the SHeG, Manay Alma was offered to become a community facilitator (CF). As a CF, she is responsible for organizing new groups, and coaching and training them. She’s been a CF for more than two years now and is already handling 12 groups in six barangays. She’s never had the chance to earn a college degree but she’s at par with some of the best community organizers in the country. She only receives a small honorarium for being a CF, but she is really committed to what she’s doing. “Ginagawa ko to hindi dahil sa pera, gusto ko talaga maging successful ang mga SHeGs ko” (I am doing this not for the money, I just really want my SHeGs to be successful), said Manay Alma with deep conviction.

 

 

Some time this year, she will go to Barcelona in Sorsogon to do a series of strengthening training with community facilitators and cluster level officers. “Pwede na syang maging Project Officer kung mag-expand and SHA project. Magaling syang mag-conduct ng training” (She can already be a Project Officer if the SHA Project will expand. She is good in conducting training), said Ms. Desolo.

Manay Alma is a dream come true not just for BCCD but for the millions of advocates who hope to see women empowered and to set free the tremendous potential that lies in them.

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Clarice Cabanlit was one of the volunteers who participated at CODE-NGO’s Young Writers’ Summer Camp in 2013.