We understand that poverty lies at the heart of unreported cases of Gender-based violence (GBV). Most women are often afraid they will lose their economic support if they report. Statistics show domestic violence has increased in the wake of the COVID19 pandemic. Women have a huge role to play in nation-building. Gender inequality, unpaid care, and a largely unskilled women’s group are some issues to name a few that hold them back.
Women’s empowerment is one of the practical solutions to reducing the cases of violence against women. South Saharan Social Development Organization through its Jacob’s Well program is providing micro-credit to female-owned small businesses. This will help women achieve financial independence and reduce poverty.
In 2023, 42 beneficiaries across five registered cooperatives got loans to grow their businesses. They were trained in financial literacy, risk management, savings culture, business, and cooperative management using the GIZ Nigeria & ECOWAS resource manual to help sustain and grow the venture.
A sum of 9.5 million naira was disbursed to these women with no collateral required leveraging the social trust within the cooperative mechanism to ensure compliance across the board. We are happy to report that the various businesses are thriving and the beneficiaries are doing tremendously well.
