International Women's Day

International Women's Day is a day that I really knew nothing about until I arrived in Niger ... and admittedly, I still am not really educated on all this day means.  A few years ago, one of my Nigerien friends asked me if I knew what the rights of women were.  I was ashamed to admit that I did not ... I was born and raised in a country where my rights have not been denied to me.

My friend was only able to list a few of them: right to vote, education and health being among those that I remember he mentioned.  My friend is a teacher here, so educated - and I would say that as the chief's son, an advocate for his community.  However, he was unable to list all the rights either.  He said I should look them up as it was important for me as a woman to know my rights.  I realized that day, that in a country where women are denied many of their basic rights, it is well and good for them to know their rights .... but they perhaps have little hope of seeing them achieved if the men in their lives and country do not also know them nor are willing to grant them.

I still haven't spent much time researching this; yet even though I cannot list these rights - I love and am passionate about the work I do in Niger which addresses some of these rights for the women and girls of my village.  

The weekend schools that I facilitate in the villages and the work to advocate having government run schools available addresses the problem of teenage brides.  It also addresses the right to education for these young girls - I have heard that to educate a girl will bring lasting change for the future generation!

The Village Savings and Loans program that we run with three groups of women helps to empower the women to change the lives of their families.

They have an opportunity to save their funds, to leverage the group's savings into loans with which to start small businesses and earn an income.

This is the third year of this program in my one village area - and this Wednesday past, International Women's Day, marked the fourth month of this current year of savings.  It was a loans week - so money was coming and going from the cash box.  At the end of the afternoon - the one cash box total came to 441,000 cfa ... the equivalent of approximately $991.00 Canadian!!

This is an incredible amount for these 48 women to have saved in four months ... each contributing 4 to 5 shares per week - approximately $2.24 - $2.80 per week ... per lady.  But, when I think back to the first year of the program - this amount is the total they saved over the entire 10 months of the program!!  The women have seen the benefits of the savings in their lives and are eager to maximize their savings now.  How much further will they go this year??!?

The women were so excited to hear their total this week that they instantly began to celebrate ...in typical Nigerien style - How do you celebrate??  You dance of course!!

The lives of these women - and those of their children - have been forever changed as they are empowered to make change for the betterment of their families!  It is such a privilege to see their joy and pride in the work they have done.