Learning from OneVillage Partners Sent My Children Back to School
Written by Nabieu Senessie & Emmanuel George
Watta Moriba is a 46-year-old single mother of five who lives in Gbeka. The village is located in Jahn Chiefdom in Kailahun District, Eastern Sierra Leone. Like many mothers, Watta wanted to educate her children and save for the future. The family’s sole bread winner was her husband.
Crisis hit in 2016 when Watta’s husband died, leaving her to fend for herself and her children. She tried to support her family with subsistence farming, but that didn’t cover her expenses. Watta was forced to borrow from other women to cover her basic needs and her children’s tuition. The loans and their mounting interest started to weigh on her, putting the family into further financial difficulties. “I used to go into hiding when the lender came for her money with fear that I could be summoned and fined by the chiefs because I didn’t have the money to pay back my debt,” Watta said.
Since Watta knew nothing about budgeting or saving, the situation worsened. Watta could no longer pay her children’s tuition and rent in the nearby city of Kenema where they attended secondary school. Her two boys had to leave school and move back to Gbeka. After returning to Gbeka, one of Watta’s sons impregnated a young girl. She and her son were summoned to the Town Chief who imposed a large fine of Le 400,000 ($50) and charged them with caring for the girl during her pregnancy and her education. With another person to care for, Watta took out another loan and fell further into debt. Alone, with no income and no technical skills Watta faced a bleak future.
Fortunately, Watta’s prospects began to change when connected with her friend, Miatta Koroma, who was a participant in OneVillage Partner’s Nurturing Opportunities for Women (NOW) program. NOW teaches women financial management skills related to personal savings, household planning and business. Watta hadn’t been selected for the program but Miatta was willing to pass along the lessons to her friend. “Seeing Watta struggle with such a huge burden as a single mother was a sad experience,” Miatta said. “I realized that Watta needed these lessons even more than me.” Miatta visited Watta to share the first lesson on planning, setting goals, doing business and saving for the future. Watta was interested, enthusiastic and wanted to continue. After a few lessons and seeing that Watta was engaged and serious about learning, Miatta lent Watta Le 100,000 ($12.50) interest free to start a small business. It was a way to help her friend and to test Watta’s newly learned skills.
Using Miatta’s loan, Watta bought palm oil from local farmers and traveled to nearby villages to resell her product at a higher price. She started saving small amounts from her farming efforts and began making and selling homemade soap to generate even more income. But Watta found it difficult to save the additional income. She wasn’t in the habit of saving and it was still very new to her. She often used the money for high-priced food items or fancy clothes. Again, friends came to Watta’s aid and suggested that she put her earnings in different places. “Instead of keeping my money at home where I would take from it, I learned a better way by joining a saving group and I also reduced my spending on high priced clothes,” Watta said. Watta’s savings began to grow. She paid back all her debts, invested in her business, provided for her family and was even able to provide small loans to other women. “Instead of being a debtor, I could lend to other women from my savings,” Watta said. “I felt proud.”
Despite her success and the positive changes in her behavior, Watta encountered setbacks. Her palm oil business failed and the two women she’d lent money couldn’t pay her back. She was afraid to start a second business for fear of losing her money again and started blaming herself for not being strict with her money. Watta went to see Miatta to review her skills. Watta’s limited business experience was the source of most of her troubles. She needed more skills and decided to continue learning how to maximize profits and strengthen her saving habits with Miatta. Watta took some money from her soap making business to buy 10 gallons of palm oil. This time she was able to resell her product and save some earnings. “I thought my palm oil business would fail for the second time, but the skills I gained from Miatta kept me going without giving up,” Watta said. And this time Watta succeeded.
“It’s hard to believe that I now wake up every morning without thinking of the debt I owe somebody,” Watta said. Watta had learned how to manage her finances. She had gained back the respect of her community, sent her children back to school, and contributed to other family expenses, such as funerals. With a growing business, her family cared for and a new-found confidence, Watta boldly decided to share her knowledge with other women. Mamie Saffa, a Gbeka community member, was one of the women who benefitted from Watta’s desire to pass along her skills. “I learned about saving and business from Watta Moriba,” said Mamie Saffa. “She taught me what she was doing herself.”
One of the best rewards for Watta’s hard work was one son’s graduation from college and the other son’s graduation from high school. “I become happy and proud that as a single mother, I have educated these boys from my saving,” she said. Watta’s savings now totals Le 1,000,000 ($125) which she’ll use to pay her second son’s upcoming college expenses. From her experience Watta learned she is capable of working hard to solve her own problems, “Everyone must save for the future, they must ask ‘how can I handle this?’ This happens if we all practice what we learn from our NOW sisters who have gained the skills and are ready to share with others,” Watta stated with a broad smile. Watta’s newfound financial independence has brought many benefits; “Now that I have the skills and am practicing them, I have more peace of mind, am free from debts, and can confidently sponsor my children’s education at all times.” Watta said.