From cash to community: How Malian women are investing in their future
Women’s savings groups in Mali are using part of the financial aid they received through cash transfers to launch community-based projects that benefit everyone.
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Konobougou, a town 140 km north of Bamako on the road to Ségou, is a testing ground for pilot projects focused on resilience and social protection. Aidara Fanta Anne is the focal point for the Maman Yeleen or “Mothers of Light,” who raise awareness among families about essential practices such as hygiene and proper nutrition. A mother of seven—with her youngest just five—and grandmother to three, Fanta is also a member of Sigui Diya (“Living Together in Joy”), a savings group of women who participated in a cash transfer programme organized by UNICEF.
“When the funds become available, we receive a message on our phones. I then go to the counter to withdraw the money. In our group, we received 45,000 FCFA on four occasions,” Fanta explains.
“I used the money to buy cereals during the harvest season, which I stored and sold later during the rainy season, once harvests were over. That allowed me to make a profit.”
Together With the other women in the group, they decided to pool part of their funds.
“This helps our group function well, allows us to buy production equipment, and keeps the yard clean where we process goods to sell in our cooperative shop. With the pooled money, we also rented a space and hired a shopkeeper. Part of the profits from the goods sold is used to pay the rent, and The shopkeeper receives a share of the sales as a salary.”
The success of Sigui Diya has led to new women joining.
“When we registered our cooperative with the town hall, we were already 70 women. Now, there are 140 of us involved in activities and pooling our resources,” says Fanta. Some women specialize in food processing, while others focus on gardening.
Kadiatou Coulibaly, a member of the Kenkele group (“One Language”), also took part in the UNICEF cash transfer project. Her group pooled their savings to start a collective garden that provides vegetables for their families. They cultivate the land together in a joyful, supportive atmosphere. Part of the harvest is bought by members who process the produce and sell it in the village streets.
Fanta adds:
“Every Tuesday, we also have a tontine called tekéréni, which is a savings group. Each participant contributes 500 FCFA. When someone needs a loan, she receives the amount and repays it with a small interest—say 250 FCFA on a loan of 5,000 FCFA.”
the interest is then reinvested in projects that benefit the entire community.
Mamadou Bamadio, Secretary General of the Konobougou town hall, has supported the women’s groups from the beginning:
“It’s wonderful to see the tangible impact of the project supported by Germany on women’s empowerment in Konobougou. Their involvement in gardening, food processing, and managing the shop demonstrates their energy and their ability to boost the local economy.”
“This project has truly been beneficial. Thanks to the cash transfers, we have peace of mind. Among us, there is peace,” concludes Fanta.
The cash transfers are part of the joint WFP–UNICEF programme “Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic through Social Protection Systems in the Sahel,” financially supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the German Development Bank (KfW). The programme supports 1,000 women’s savings groups, with more than 27,000 members.
