Accounting Kit Changes Life Of Married 16-Year-Old

WOMEN IN MYMENSINGH, BANGLADESH ARE FINDING UNPRECEDENTED OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN AND GROW.  

Savings and Loans groups are multiplying and spreading as women are telling their friends and family members about the power of saving and working together.

Mithee Hasan’s* Savings Group has already saved $343 from weekly deposits sometimes as small as seven cents. Of that, over $200 has been lent out among the 18 members for everything from purchasing vegetable seeds to buying land. The women have drafted their own constitution to set interest rates that work for them, making sure that no member will be barred from accessing a loan, but also that rates are sufficient to keep their capital growing.

Nineteen-year-old Mithee never dreamed that an accounting kit could change her life. Married at 16 and pregnant soon after, Mithee found it hard to have hope for the future. When a Food for the Hungry staff member suggested that she join a Savings Group, she was skeptical. But she tried it, and soon the other women elected her to train as the group cashier and assistant meeting facilitator. 

Today, Mithee conducts weekly meetings and leads the group when their chairperson is away. Her family’s financial stability has already improved through her strategic weekly savings, and she has been diligent about applying the health lessons she’s learned in the group. 

In addition to learning about health, money management, and income generation, the women are also trained in literacy, legal rights, and values. Two recent workshops on early marriage and gender-based oppression were especially eye-opening; many of the mothers hadn’t realized there were laws protecting them and their daughters. 

*Name has been changed.