Tell us about yourself?
My name is Sidonie Adjiwa. I am 33 years old and have three children aged 3, 5 and 7. I am a housewife. I live in the city of Djougou in Benin. My father was a bricklayer but now he is blind. My mother is also a housewife and works in the fields. I have a brother and sister. My childhood dream was to become an important figure, so that I would be able to support my family. My husband is called Crescent Gbedodjiche and he is a primary school teacher. I joined the FaFa Wa group in September 2020.
What does women’s economic justice mean to you?
“Women’s economic justice is when women have the right to the same economic privileges as men, without discrimination.”
In our society, women are not considered capable of certain activities but, nevertheless, they play a very important role within the household. Women must have the same economic opportunities as men. The priority is that women can be financially independent and that they can help one another. FaFa Wa groups have supported the empowerment of women.
How has COVID-19 affected women’s economic justice?
The pandemic has made people aware of the important economic role of women. In our villages, women’s activities as producers provide for the family and the entire community. The crisis has highlighted how women play an important part in the economy. We must support women’s economic activities and guide them through training, so that their income generating activities can grow.
How have you overcome the challenges you’ve faced and what changes have you experienced?
"When I joined the FaFa Wa group, I was able to have light in my life and at home."
With the loans, I bought a pot for making mustard that I sell at the local market. Thanks to this, I make some money and today I feel good and so does my family, including my husband who – in the beginning – was not ok with my joining the savings group. Our savings group has a group business selling soap and tofu at the market. These days, several women from my savings groups have enrolled their children in school, when they couldn’t before, and are trying hard to learn how to manage a business and grow their income.
What do you hope for from your FaFa Wa group and from CARE?
FaFa Wa groups are a good way of empowering women in Benin and Togo. I wish that all women could be part of a FaFa Wa group... With the support of CARE, who can train us on things like leadership, we will be able to increase our incomes and become even more self-sufficient. For my part, I would like to earn money sewing and get another loan from FaFa Wa, so that I can help my parents who are still living in poverty. I would also like it if our group business could become even more profitable, so that we can do more for the community.
“CARE’s role is to find ways to advocate so that women are no longer seen only as household consumers but so that women also have the chance to earn and manage their own money, and take part in decision-making.”
Sidonie’s FaFa Wa group in Benin is part of Women on the Move, CARE’s regional strategy to mobilise savings groups in West Africa to serve as a platform for women and girls to assert their rights. Women on the Move focuses on women’s leadership and facilitating spaces where women and girls in savings groups can network and connect to governments and other civil society organisations to raise their voices, defend their rights and take collective action. Because it’s not just about economic solidarity but building social and political solidarity too. Since 2017, Women on the Move savings groups in West Africa have had a positive impact on the lives of more than 1.6 million people.
