This text is part of the special section on International Cooperation
With the support of Oxfam-Québec, women in El Salvador without access to bank credit are organizing themselves into a solidarity savings group. The formula is so successful that it is rapidly gaining popularity in the small Central American country struggling with poverty and violence.
Salvadoran women, we are warriors, says with dignity Enemecia Portillo, president of the women’s savings group of El Espino. Sometimes husbands leave us alone with several children. We live on very meager wages, and suddenly we need medicine. But we always get up. »
Less than one in three Salvadoran women has a bank account, a much lower proportion among peasant women, illustrates Enemecia Portillo. Like her, many women from the El Espino community, in the department of La Libertad in El Salvador, work in the coffee plantations. Many are single mothers. Many men leave the country to work in the United States. Others were victims of the civil war between 1979 and 1992 or the violence of armed gangs.
Despite the challenges, Enemecia Portillo is proud of the solidarity uniting peasant women, which allows them to achieve greater financial autonomy and, by extension, a better status within their homes and communities. “In the settlements [des villes], I do not see organized women, she notes. As peasant women, we have achieved empowerment. »
The key to autonomy
In 2017, a women’s savings group was created in El Espino, under the initiative of Oxfam-Québec. The savings group operates like a petty credit union, granting microloans of less than a year up to US$500. Members must attend regular meetings and deposit savings, for example $2 every two weeks. The amount collected and the interest generated allow the women to borrow and repay their loan with a minimal interest rate. The money raised is kept in a safe provided by Oxfam.
“We establish our rules together,” explains Enemecia Portillo. For example, members have to repay before the end of the financial year, otherwise they have to pay a fine. The formula allows women to have access to a better quality of life, specifies the president of the group. “A woman was able to repair her roof which was not waterproof,” she gives as an example. Another had to pay for a medical consultation and do a cytology. »
In a few years, the group of El Espino has grown from 14 to more than 80 members. The formula works so well that other women in the country are now observing the operation of the group of El Espino to reproduce the experience. With the support of Oxfam, another group will soon be created in Ahuachapán, in the west of the country.
With the savings group, the president sees even further. She hopes that the group can generate enough funds to open a room that can serve as a private space allowing women to confide and share their experiences with more privacy.
Female solidarity
The organization of these women around savings groups also makes it possible to provide solutions on the social level, adds Magaly Brunet, advisor in economic empowerment and gender, volunteer cooperator for Oxfam-Québec for this project. “The savings group transcends the economic dimension,” she explains. A savings group is also a safe space for women that allows them to create a network of women who share their experiences, concerns and possible solutions. »
The groups are also spaces to strengthen the knowledge and skills of members on several aspects, such as the realization of a business plan, women’s rights, or violence against women. Workshops on these themes are organized by the network of savings groups in the region, explains Magaly Brunet.
After the launch of the groups, Oxfam-Québec continues to provide support to solidify these initiatives with financial and technical means. “I thank God that we met organizations [comme Oxfam] which opened our eyes, concludes Enemecia Portillo. They encourage us to defend ourselves as women and make us feel that, even if she lives in a humble house, the woman is important. »
This special content was produced by the Special Publications team of the Duty, relating to marketing. The drafting of Duty did not take part.