Because I am a Girl

Project review

The five-year project you have supported in Senegal is now in its fourth year of implementation. Since the project’s inception, new classrooms, latrines, water points, and playgrounds have been built across 60 schools in three regions of Senegal (Thies, Saint Louis and Kaolak) to improve the quality of education and maintain high enrollment and retention rates. In addition, thousands of women are augmenting their assets and livelihoods with loans from Village Savings and Loan Associations. With greater economic security, parents are better able to support their children’s education, nutrition, and health care.

The “cine-bus”!
Plan Senegal used an innovative approach to raising community awareness on child rights, gender equality, hygiene, and sanitation. Instead of holding conventional community meetings, project facilitators screened messages and skits on a film. The film screen, however, did not reside in a fixed spot. It was carried around in a vehicle (top, right photo), which traveled from one community to the next, educating children and their families in an engaging, interactive way. Community members gather around the cinebus, to watch the film (middle photo), and have a chance to ask questions and discuss issues after the presentation (bottom, right photo). Information shared by the cinebus was also disseminated through radio broadcasts and theatre productions.

The forward momentum of microfinance
In the third year of this project, 291 new Village Savings and Loan Associations were formed by community agents trained by Plan’s local partner, APROFES (Association for the Advancement of Senegalese Women). In addition to undertaking financial training, many VSLA members have participated in training on gender equality, child rights, or school gardening. The 156 groups established in the first two years are no longer being supervised, as they have been through several lending cycles and have mastered the financial and operational knowledge to function on their own. The table below presents a breakdown of the all VSLAs’ progress across the three regions:
                                                   

                                                       Actual     Target
Group meeting attendance rate             94%         80%
Members holding loans                        64%         30%
Retention rate of members in groups    100%         95%
Average savings balance (USD)           $20.41        $20

As you can see from this table, VSLA groups are performing above target levels across all measures, indicating the motivation, diligence, and success of the members. The 100% retention rate is particularly impressive, as it is common for a few members to leave the group after a year or two due to factors such as family migration, or time-consuming duties in their homes or farms.

VSLA meetings are run in a strict, systematic way, to ensure that the group fund is secure, and all loans and repayments are accounted for. The money box is guarded and managed by a group treasurer, and a record keeper enters all transactions in each member’s financial passbook. By joining VSLAs, women are not only accessing loans, but also learning about financial management and accountability - essential knowledge that creates a transformational impact on women’s role and influence in their homes and communities.

Thank you

Plan has worked with students, teachers and community members to create learning environments that offer quality education and protection, over the past three years. None of this transformational work would be possible without your generous support and concern for children and their families in Senegal. Thank you!