Forty one participants drawn from the South Eastern Region of Bo, Bonthe, Moyamba, Pujehun, Kenema and Kono gathered in Bo City at the M.J. Swaray Memorial Hall for a three days training workshop on book writing. The thirty book writers are from the SAG communities while the eleven are NaCSA field staff.
The objective is to train book writers (and potential SAG members) on the importance of book keeping, to enhance the skills of book writers through practical writing of SAG books, to enable the participants to understand the importance of SAG annual audit, and finally to encourage the book writers to update their SAG books during the training.
The book writers are key to the sustainability of the Self help Affinity Group (SAGs), as they served as secretaries in updating the various books of their SAG such as, receipt books, minutes books or mother book, admission register, general ledger, savings ledger, credit ledger, savings and loan pass book.
It could be recalled that the Self help Affinity Group (SAGs) concept introduced during the phase 1 of the Sierra Leone Community Driven Development Project (SLCDD). Theses groups of women comprise 15-20 homogenous members who are physically active but socially and economically poor, that came together voluntarily on the basis of affinity among the group members.
The group members use savings, credit and social involvement as an instrument of empowerment. They are also trained and empowered to set up and manage their own internal savings and lending schemes. NaCSA and MYRADA consultants from India have entered into an agreement to promote community institutions that will work on poverty alleviation and livelihood promotion.
In the first phase of the SLCDD1, NaCSA and MYRADA formed 118 SAGs across the country, and in this second phase they will form 400 of which 26 have already been formed in lower Bambara Chiefdom in the Kenema district, east of the country.
The two MYRADA consultants from India, Mallesha H.R. a Training Coordinator and Venkatreddy s. Girani Senior Manager will replicate the same training in Makeni City for the north western region in the coming days.
Tuesday October 24, 2017.