Sewing machines, savings groups and slow-shows

I (Jenny) work with three different groups at the present time: a women’s group in Chimoio associated with the Christian Council of Mozambique, a group of people from the Mennonite church who are forming a savings group for themselves and the women of the church at the Mennonite church. Each group is vastly different.

CCM Women’s Group—This group of women meets every Saturday afternoon at 2 PM. Usually, it is me, the officers and a few other women, for about 8 women total. We take time to pray, to sing and someone usually shares a scripture and a brief message. The purpose of this group is two fold: to generate income for the women who attend by making and selling things and then to also make things for people (like orphans). We are in the process of getting sewing machines for them to further their work. They hope that by having several sewing machines that they will be able to make more things to sell and make some money.

They fear that not many women come because they are not doing a lot of activities. Their hope is that when they have the sewing machines then more women will join their group. We are working together to create some structure—like a calendar of activities, planning ahead for the sewing machine, and coming up with activities to do. My challenge has been learning how to ask good questions for planning.

The Savings Group—This group is in the beginning stages of this group. A savings group is a group of persons (usually 10-30) who gather together weekly to save money. Each week people bring a small amount decided on by the group to put into the savings pot. From the collective savings individuals can take out loans for about a month small business ventures. The group runs 8 months to a year and at the end, each person receives back all the money they saved plus any interest from the loans paid back (divided equally between all members). This is a way for communities to provide credit options for themselves when banks charge high interest rates or do not give small loans or loans without a prior credit history. Savings groups begin with outside help facilitating the meetings, but after one cycle are “launched” to independent groups who can decide to reconvene and start a new cycle. It is a way that people can save money for a significant event (wedding) or upcoming expenses (school supplies) without having the money in their house where they might use it or someone might ask for it from them.

The group at church has met a few times to understand the process of how savings groups work. They are at a point where they are going to talk with people and when they get a group of committed people together they are going to come back to me and we will begin the group. The process of explaining how savings groups work has used all my social work group facilitation skills as well as all my Portuguese vocabulary. I’m still amazed that they understood what I said and caught the vision!

The Mennonite Church Women—Each Thursday afternoon, women across Mozambique gather in their churches for a mid-week meeting. From what I understand, these meetings are for Bible Study, singing or teaching a craft or household things. The Mennonite Church in Gondola, too, tries to meet each Thursday. Apparently since the beginning of the church the women have not been able to consistently meet each Thursday. My experience has been generally one or two women come and we wait for others to come. A few times we have had about 6-8 women, we sang together, had a brief Bible study and prayer. Once they asked me to lead it. The topic they chose was how to respect their husbands! It was hard to know how to plan because I had only just arrived and barely knew their culture. We did a few dramas about how to show respect and they talked about what respecting their husbands means for them. They seemed to enjoy it.

I have enjoyed getting to know individual women as we have waited together for other women to come. It has been frustrating going, waiting, and some Thursdays no one comes. I am learning patience, to always take a book or something to do while I wait because often the women are arrive later than the 2 PM starting time. But like everything in the church, it is God’s group and we need to keep praying for guidance.

(Photo-a group of women walking past our house to the market to sell fruits)