Kebebush's Smart Savers

Kebebush Berena is no stranger to change. Since her initial interactions recruiting and enrolling women for WEEMA’s Self Help Groups (SHGs), Kebebush has watched the women she supports grow and develop into financially savvy savers.

As the facilitator of two SHGs, Kebebush is directly involved in each participant’s life. Each week she visits members in their home to discuss any familial issues. Kebebush also facilitates group meetings, making sure that each woman is involved and contributes to combined savings shared by the SHG.

Meetings consists of collecting member contributions followed by planning for the next step in the women’s business ventures and expenditures. The communal fund allows the women to make purchases that benefit the whole group, like buying chickens or ordering butter in bulk to share for the holidays.

Looking towards the future, Kebebush hopes that the women will be able to utilize credit in order to continue developing. She has seen a collective change in outlook from the women who she works with; “I think every women has changed a lot because of her role in the SHG group. We are developing habits of saving not only money, but everything we have.”