Women and Money
As I’ve written about before, the United Church of Christ Women’s Society Savings Group Project is taking off. We approved their budget for 2009-2010 to visit the existing groups and to do several seminars. Yesterday, as I talked with Dona Cristina to plan to visit one of the groups while we have a learning tour here in May, she mentioned that I had forgotten to give them certificates for their seminars. I told her that I would print them off and deliver them today.
So today, I walked down two flights of stairs from the MCC office to the UCC church office to drop off the certificates. I expected to just drop them off and be on my way, but her husband, the President of the denomination, invited me into his office and we sat and chatted for a while.
It was a pleasant surprise to talk with him. Feeling a bit awkward, I initiated conversation with, “So, this project is a success.” He then began talking about how amazing this project is for the women involved and the church itself. He told me how savings groups can elevate women, who are traditionally not held in high esteem in Mozambique. That by being in a savings group and learning to save, women are being empowered in ways that they never have. He recounted a story about a group that his wife experienced while visiting a group. The group is comprised of mostly women, but when Dona Cristina arrived, the whole leadership committee was men. She advised the group that though men are welcome to be a part of savings groups, the groups are intended for the women and the leadership needs to be comprised of all women. So on that day, the leadership committee changed from all men to women.
Sr. President (as he is called here) continued to tell me of the vision for the groups. They hope that this year they can nurture the groups and next year start with some community development components within the group, specifically starting to talk with the groups about domestic violence and child trafficking. Both are major problems here. They also want to expand the groups to other denominations because they are seeing how it is making such a positive impact in the lives of women and their communities.
One of the churches close to Beira meets on Sunday afternoons. The group has members from the UCC church as well as people from the community. As a result of the group, the once poorly attended church is now so full that people have to arrive early in order to get a seat for worship! They are seeing potential for evangelism within the realm of these groups and how they can help people learn about so many different things.
The most amazing part to me of our conversation was when he started praising women. Women in Mozambican society are rarely praised. Usually they are just there, present, but not involved or asked to be involved. I’ve been in conversations with men who readily admit they do not trust their wives with money (when Joél and I tell them I manage the money they just give us this look like, “Well you’re foreigners, you’re supposed to be strange.”). Sr. President and I talked about this. He said that one of the reasons these groups are going so well is because women are good financial managers. He also said that people need to listen to women because they have good ideas. He told me several times that 60-70% of the stuff he does at the church are ideas from his wife. He said, “God could have given me another woman, but he gave me her and I’m really glad.” I asked him if he’s told her that before and he said, “Yeah, last month.”
Perhaps, he was just telling me, the Community and Women’s Development Worker, what I wanted to hear, but I could tell by the enthusiasm in his voice it’s what he thinks. It’s good to hear. Especially from a head of a large denomination.
So today, I walked down two flights of stairs from the MCC office to the UCC church office to drop off the certificates. I expected to just drop them off and be on my way, but her husband, the President of the denomination, invited me into his office and we sat and chatted for a while.
It was a pleasant surprise to talk with him. Feeling a bit awkward, I initiated conversation with, “So, this project is a success.” He then began talking about how amazing this project is for the women involved and the church itself. He told me how savings groups can elevate women, who are traditionally not held in high esteem in Mozambique. That by being in a savings group and learning to save, women are being empowered in ways that they never have. He recounted a story about a group that his wife experienced while visiting a group. The group is comprised of mostly women, but when Dona Cristina arrived, the whole leadership committee was men. She advised the group that though men are welcome to be a part of savings groups, the groups are intended for the women and the leadership needs to be comprised of all women. So on that day, the leadership committee changed from all men to women.
Sr. President (as he is called here) continued to tell me of the vision for the groups. They hope that this year they can nurture the groups and next year start with some community development components within the group, specifically starting to talk with the groups about domestic violence and child trafficking. Both are major problems here. They also want to expand the groups to other denominations because they are seeing how it is making such a positive impact in the lives of women and their communities.
One of the churches close to Beira meets on Sunday afternoons. The group has members from the UCC church as well as people from the community. As a result of the group, the once poorly attended church is now so full that people have to arrive early in order to get a seat for worship! They are seeing potential for evangelism within the realm of these groups and how they can help people learn about so many different things.
The most amazing part to me of our conversation was when he started praising women. Women in Mozambican society are rarely praised. Usually they are just there, present, but not involved or asked to be involved. I’ve been in conversations with men who readily admit they do not trust their wives with money (when Joél and I tell them I manage the money they just give us this look like, “Well you’re foreigners, you’re supposed to be strange.”). Sr. President and I talked about this. He said that one of the reasons these groups are going so well is because women are good financial managers. He also said that people need to listen to women because they have good ideas. He told me several times that 60-70% of the stuff he does at the church are ideas from his wife. He said, “God could have given me another woman, but he gave me her and I’m really glad.” I asked him if he’s told her that before and he said, “Yeah, last month.”
Perhaps, he was just telling me, the Community and Women’s Development Worker, what I wanted to hear, but I could tell by the enthusiasm in his voice it’s what he thinks. It’s good to hear. Especially from a head of a large denomination.
*Photo: From the training session we held in August for savings groups.
2 comments:
What a thrilling first-hand story of positive change!-ME
That is so awesome! I'm so happy for you Jenny.
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