Join My Village is changing lives in the villages we work with in so many ways, and sometimes in ways that even surprise us. Tisungane Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) is one example of some exciting changes in JMV communities that we didn’t plan for. Tisungane is an unusual VSLA because it is comprised of 25 men, when most VSLAs are exclusively women, and it represents some fundamental shifts in attitudes amongst men in the communities and improved relationships between women and men.    ...
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During this month of December, money is not easy to find here in Kasungu. Most people would rather invest the little they have in farming rather than spending it on frivolous gifts for Christmas with many families in Kasungu earning less than $2 a day you can see they do not have much to spare.     This is not the case with our Village Saving and Loan Association groups as they have joined forces to increase their personal savings. Mrs. Tryness Phiri, a 63 year...
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This month the world marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Violence is something that will always leave a mark in the hearts of everybody who has been affected by it. Kasungu district, where the Join My Village project works, is nicknamed ‘the Golden Leaf Town’ because it is where much of Malawi’s tobacco crops are grown. In agricultural districts like Kasungu, violence come in different shapes which affects most women and our future women, our girls! Women work hard in...
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Chiyanjano is a Village Savings and Loans Association which, like Join My Village, is on a mission supporting both boys and girls in their community.This group has gone beyond their mandate of personal savings and loans to use their improved financial skills to save additional money to support needy children in their community. Last month the Chiyanjano Association gave personal basic needs to 23 students at Chalowa primary school. An indicator of what a significant effort this is can be seen by the fact that...
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In recent months Join My Village has introduced an exciting new initiative – exchange visits for our Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA). These are visits that take place among VSLA members under Join My Village as one way of increasing confidence of participating members that what they are doing is worth showcasing. During the visits, members from different groups meet each other, share their experiences, stories and lessons learned, and also share a meal! VSLA members are given the opportunity to discuss challenges they...
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