Lead Writer: Mogbonjubade Adesulure
Read how a Village Savings Loan Association (VSLA) made a real difference in the life of a family.
Grandma Khadija is married to Grandpa Danladi, and they have eight children. Her youngest child is 17 years old, and she also has grandchildren. Her husband, though supportive of her efforts, is now in his old age and partially paralysed, which means some of the responsibility of caring for the family falls on Khadija. Despite these challenges, Khadijah describes herself as someone who is not the type to stay idle.
I am not the type to just stay without doing anything, I am always looking for a way to sustain myself, my family, and my husband.
When she first heard about the VSLA program, she was hesitant to join, when it came at first, we thought they wanted to trick and take our money. However, after the village agent explained how the program works, she decided to participate.
Before joining VSLA, she was already engaged in small-scale business, but the support she received through the program elevated her business. Even though we were doing our business before it came but it has helped lift us -Khadijah. The VSLA initiative, supported by Save the Children Nigeria in partnership with the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office under the PLANE window 3 project, made a real difference in Khadija’s household. She was able to establish, grow and diversify her income-generating activities, including farming, rearing goats, one of my goats gave birth to twins yesterday , she told us during the interview, owning sufficient fertiliser, operating her grinding machine, and selling firewood.
Khadijah with her goats — Mogbonjubade/Save the Children
These efforts have enabled her to support her family, pay her children’s school fees, and meet their daily needs. She and her husband live peacefully! Khadija is grateful for the support she received and hopes the VSLA initiative continues.
Honestly, there is nothing I can say about this organisation rather than how grateful we are to it, it has really helped us.
In fact, after Khadijah's neighbours saw the profit she gained, four others in her compound joined the program. She no longer depends on relatives for assistance; the burden has lifted, and her family is now able to manage things independently. This organisation has lifted all that burden from us, now we manage everything properly on our own.
Dandladi, Khadija’s husband and her son, Sani, also expressed their gratitude.
I am grateful for this organisation... I cannot begin to describe the way it has helped me… I am really grateful, we are having more support… My words cannot come out fully due to the illness. I am grateful, I have nothing more to say thank you very much. Well done.
Khadijah and her son — Mogbonjubade/Save the Children
Sani, Khadijah’s son
We are happy with this organisation, we are grateful... our Mother is supporting us through this organisation. With it we are able to get food, she pays our school fees, and with it we do our activities, because of this we are grateful…
Save the Children facilitation of the establishment of Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA) across communities is part of a broader approach to Household Economic Strengthening (HES). Through VSLA, groups of 15–25 community members come together to pool weekly savings. Members can access small loans to grow their businesses or respond to urgent needs, while a social fund supports emergencies like health or school fees. Under the PLANE window 3 project, over 3,000 households have been reached across northern nigeria.
The PLANE window 3 project is implemented by Save the Children with support from the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office.
