One of the great needs within under-resourced communities in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa is basic home care.  This is the kind of service that would greatly burden any non-profit organization, yet the need is often too great to ignore.  Zimele is well aware of the need, but they know that to take on such a [...]

The group currently has 14 members and has saved R1234 to date. One of the members is 85 years old and she is using the benefits from the group to improve the wellbeing of her extended family of grandchildren and great grandchildren.

This savings group pooled their savings to start a group business. They bought 18 trays of eggs for each of them to sell. They sold the eggs at 2x their costs, which allowed them to repay the group loan and have enough money to buy another 18 trays of eggs debt free!

With their savings they bought a hair shaving kit and started a haircutting business to earn enough money to put themselves through school. Mthobisi and Nkosingiphile also use the money to buy food for their siblings. The savings and business skills they learned in the Self-Help-Groups taught them how to save and how to start and run their business.

As the members learned financial discipline, they were able to consistently purchase food to feed their grandchildren. As they became better savers, and as their savings grew, they able to use loans to dramatically transform their lives.

Yvonne is a middle-aged, African lady who lives in a one room house, all by herself just outside town. She was married, but her Zulu husband abused her and her only child and then left. He might be dead because Yvonne is now HIV/AIDS positive.
Her family, who live just 100m away, have ostracized Yvonne when [...]