Chindwin Home Based Care Savings Loans Association (SLA) has moved a step foward in reaching out to those in need, particularly women and children (OVC) During the past few months, Mr. James Milunga (Capacity Building Cordinator) has faciliated thre community meetings with a community in Makululua, a peri-rurual poor shanty compound to educate them and share good practices on how to initiate and manage INNOVATIVE SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY PROJECTS.
It is anticipated that next month, SLA will conduct its first ever "selection process" to give out its first ever micro loan to another community amounting to USD 500 per group so that the group can also start a project and reach out to more children and women in need.
CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE AT SLA FOR YOUR HARD WORK AND PASSION IN WHAT YOU DO- "HELPING FAMILIES ONE HOUSEHOLD AT A TIME" BRAVO!!!!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
First AUDIT Report 2009
SLA Chairperson Mary Kombe SLA will soon be having its first ever audited accounts since the organization started in 2008. With the help of financial Expert from the UK, Alexis Murray-Johns conducted an independent and management development audit for SLA (training in Financial Management, business development and computer skills).
As the organization sets its agenda to conduct its Third Strategic Planning, financial accountability and transparency will play a key role in its future development.
SLA plans to roll-out Maternal, New Born and Child Health Programs in April with once funding is secured-For more information on how you can be part of SLA's mission in Kabwe, Zambia please visit our website on www.sloanssociation.org or support us with a donation of $25 or more towards our Micro loans Program
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Intergrating Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and Family Planning Services: The Continuum of Care from Pregnancy through Postpartum
Safe pregnancy and childbirth, healthy children and teh ability to control one's fertility are important goals for fmailies and key indicators of good health. To meet these goals, women need access to health services before, during and after birth. In addition to tcare for a current pregnancy, women need family planning services to space or prevent subsequent pregnancies. Their children need access to health care immediately adter birth and trhoughout their first years of life to prove a foundation for healthy growth and development.
It is for this reason, Savings Loans Association Chindwin Home Based Care will be conducting its second strategic plan to incorporate Materanal, Newborn and Child Health and Family Planning Services within its health care program on top of the agenda when it meets in Janary. Specifically, the organization would like to see a continuum of care across time to help ensure that mothers, newborns and children receive these services seemlessly and effectively.
Join SLA in this important program by offering your skills, knowlege and resources in our 2010-2013 mission
"together we can save many mothers and their newlyborn babies"
SLA
www.sloansassociation.org
It is for this reason, Savings Loans Association Chindwin Home Based Care will be conducting its second strategic plan to incorporate Materanal, Newborn and Child Health and Family Planning Services within its health care program on top of the agenda when it meets in Janary. Specifically, the organization would like to see a continuum of care across time to help ensure that mothers, newborns and children receive these services seemlessly and effectively.
Join SLA in this important program by offering your skills, knowlege and resources in our 2010-2013 mission
"together we can save many mothers and their newlyborn babies"
SLA
www.sloansassociation.org
Monday, December 21, 2009
School Feeding Program improves school enrollment
Savings Loans Association piloted a feeding school program at Natuseko Community School. The results were phenomenal with increased school enrollment among children from poor families. There is a direct collaration between school feeding program and school attendence and enrollment among children.
With funding from the African Millennium Foundation, a USA based group, SLA gave a small grant to purchase food packs for children who only came to school. It was observed that children who are fed, consentrate in class and feel eager to attend school. Furthermore, when we asked the parents or caregivers of the children, the parents were more supportive to send their children to school becuase "our children are assured of a meal at school then staying at home
SLA plans to support additional school feeding packs for an additional term begining 2010 once funding is sourced. For more information on supporting our school feeding program, please contact Savings Loans Association or send us an e-mail
Monday, November 9, 2009
Ritik Tiwari Working with SLA in Zambia
EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH SLA IN ZAMBIA
By Ritik Tiwari (2008)
I am a student from Houston, Texas in the United States, hoping to enter medical school within the next few years. My previous education was in Cognitive Science (studying the brain and mind) and I had worked in Information Technology for three years before deciding to switch careers.
I wanted to learn about tropical medicine in sub-Saharan Africa by living there. After much research on idealist.org, I was impressed by the professionalism of the Savings and Loan Association (SLA) group in Zambia and contacted them. We exchanged emails over the next few months and they prepared to host me for two months in Kabwe.
Upon arrival in Zambia, I settled into one of the members home and was overwhelmed by meeting all the members of SLA and their church's Home-Based Care (HBC). My host and others had set up an opportunity to work with HBC, a nearby clinic, and the general hospital in town. This would be my main work for the two months in Zambia.
The first week was tough, not because of adjusting to Africa, but because of boredom. The country's entire healthcare system was on strike, effectively shutting down hospitals and clinics. But this worked out well because I had to get paperwork to enter the clinics and hospitals. Everything was cleared up by the next week and I was ready to start volunteering.
The Zambian hospital was an interesting experience because it was so different from what I had seen in the U.S. Readily apparent was the shortage of doctors and clinicians. I believe the entire country had only one pathologist on staff. Most cases I saw at the hospital were related to either hypertension, heart disease, or diabetes. It was disappointing because I do not have any clinical training and could only walk around with the doctors to watch them work. However, it was encouraging because I know I can go back after medical training and make an impact.
Clinics were a different experience from the hospitals because they tended to a local, neighborhood clientele. They were served by clinic officers (COs) whose qualifications range somewhere between a doctor's and a nurse's. The position was created to fulfill a shortage of medical doctors. Most patients the COs see had symptoms of infections and parasites such as malaria, tuberculosis, and bilharzia. Patients also had flu and colds because it was the cold season.
The scourge of HIV was also rampant at the clinic. I cannot cite any public health statistics, but where I was, it seemed like one in five to six people was infected. Every household in the neighborhood had a child orphaned by the epidemic. In fact, HBC members were assigned around half a dozen orphans each to keep watch over. They ensured that children were being properly fed, taking any medications they were supposed to, and that they were able to afford and attend school. I went around for a few of these Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) visits with The Team. It seemed children mostly needed money for school supplies.
Though it was not the focus of my visit, I also saw the inner workings of the SLA. It provides an excellent opportunity for its members around Kabwe. Meetings are conducted every week on a strict basis. If a member does not have a valid excuse to miss a meeting, they must pay a penalty. If they are late to a meeting, they must pay a penalty. These penalty fees are added to the group's total fund. Such behavioral engineering creates a high level of accountability. It also creates a type of dedication that was very much visible across each member's face. Nobody grumbled about paying the penalty fees because they knew it was contributing to their overall benefit.
SLA has a high level of transparency with their finances. I was fortunate enough to sit through a meeting. Their accounting is well-kept and the books are easy enough for anybody to understand. Meetings also have multiple record keepers to keep the numbers accurate. I was very impressed by this level of organization and professionalism.
Unfortunately, the meeting I attended did not have members borrowing money, but I was able to see the fund's benefits while living in the neighborhood. I saw a member using money from SLA's funds to raise animals and grow maize. Another member was able to purchase school supplies for her children. Yet another had purchased critical medicines for her ailing mother.
Obviously the fund would not last too long if people borrowed without paying back. People are able to provide for their own businesses selling small goods thanks to SLA's fund. The loans are seed capital that generate income for members, allowing them to pay back the borrowed amount plus interest. Penalties are assessed if loans aren't paid back within three months.
Small loan associations are crucial for the development of nations like Zambia because so much of the population is under-served by conventional banks. These banks only undertake the risk of lending to institutions and individuals able to make large deposits. SLA, however, does not rely on the fixed policies of a bank and can move around more freely. As with the standard micro-lending model, risks on loans are spread throughout the entire group. All members are obliged to help if a single member is not able to pay back their loan.
SLA has been sustaining itself well since its formation but needs to raise its funding. Not having enough money to can be stifling for people heavily hit by unemployment and epidemics like HIV. By providing grants to increase SLA's base funding, more opportunities can be opened for its members. They can pursue larger-scale entrepreneurship. In turn, they would be connected to larger markets, which would open up many more opportunities to improve their lives.
By Ritik Tiwari (2008)
I am a student from Houston, Texas in the United States, hoping to enter medical school within the next few years. My previous education was in Cognitive Science (studying the brain and mind) and I had worked in Information Technology for three years before deciding to switch careers.
I wanted to learn about tropical medicine in sub-Saharan Africa by living there. After much research on idealist.org, I was impressed by the professionalism of the Savings and Loan Association (SLA) group in Zambia and contacted them. We exchanged emails over the next few months and they prepared to host me for two months in Kabwe.
Upon arrival in Zambia, I settled into one of the members home and was overwhelmed by meeting all the members of SLA and their church's Home-Based Care (HBC). My host and others had set up an opportunity to work with HBC, a nearby clinic, and the general hospital in town. This would be my main work for the two months in Zambia.
The first week was tough, not because of adjusting to Africa, but because of boredom. The country's entire healthcare system was on strike, effectively shutting down hospitals and clinics. But this worked out well because I had to get paperwork to enter the clinics and hospitals. Everything was cleared up by the next week and I was ready to start volunteering.
The Zambian hospital was an interesting experience because it was so different from what I had seen in the U.S. Readily apparent was the shortage of doctors and clinicians. I believe the entire country had only one pathologist on staff. Most cases I saw at the hospital were related to either hypertension, heart disease, or diabetes. It was disappointing because I do not have any clinical training and could only walk around with the doctors to watch them work. However, it was encouraging because I know I can go back after medical training and make an impact.
Clinics were a different experience from the hospitals because they tended to a local, neighborhood clientele. They were served by clinic officers (COs) whose qualifications range somewhere between a doctor's and a nurse's. The position was created to fulfill a shortage of medical doctors. Most patients the COs see had symptoms of infections and parasites such as malaria, tuberculosis, and bilharzia. Patients also had flu and colds because it was the cold season.
The scourge of HIV was also rampant at the clinic. I cannot cite any public health statistics, but where I was, it seemed like one in five to six people was infected. Every household in the neighborhood had a child orphaned by the epidemic. In fact, HBC members were assigned around half a dozen orphans each to keep watch over. They ensured that children were being properly fed, taking any medications they were supposed to, and that they were able to afford and attend school. I went around for a few of these Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) visits with The Team. It seemed children mostly needed money for school supplies.
Though it was not the focus of my visit, I also saw the inner workings of the SLA. It provides an excellent opportunity for its members around Kabwe. Meetings are conducted every week on a strict basis. If a member does not have a valid excuse to miss a meeting, they must pay a penalty. If they are late to a meeting, they must pay a penalty. These penalty fees are added to the group's total fund. Such behavioral engineering creates a high level of accountability. It also creates a type of dedication that was very much visible across each member's face. Nobody grumbled about paying the penalty fees because they knew it was contributing to their overall benefit.
SLA has a high level of transparency with their finances. I was fortunate enough to sit through a meeting. Their accounting is well-kept and the books are easy enough for anybody to understand. Meetings also have multiple record keepers to keep the numbers accurate. I was very impressed by this level of organization and professionalism.
Unfortunately, the meeting I attended did not have members borrowing money, but I was able to see the fund's benefits while living in the neighborhood. I saw a member using money from SLA's funds to raise animals and grow maize. Another member was able to purchase school supplies for her children. Yet another had purchased critical medicines for her ailing mother.
Obviously the fund would not last too long if people borrowed without paying back. People are able to provide for their own businesses selling small goods thanks to SLA's fund. The loans are seed capital that generate income for members, allowing them to pay back the borrowed amount plus interest. Penalties are assessed if loans aren't paid back within three months.
Small loan associations are crucial for the development of nations like Zambia because so much of the population is under-served by conventional banks. These banks only undertake the risk of lending to institutions and individuals able to make large deposits. SLA, however, does not rely on the fixed policies of a bank and can move around more freely. As with the standard micro-lending model, risks on loans are spread throughout the entire group. All members are obliged to help if a single member is not able to pay back their loan.
SLA has been sustaining itself well since its formation but needs to raise its funding. Not having enough money to can be stifling for people heavily hit by unemployment and epidemics like HIV. By providing grants to increase SLA's base funding, more opportunities can be opened for its members. They can pursue larger-scale entrepreneurship. In turn, they would be connected to larger markets, which would open up many more opportunities to improve their lives.
Monday, September 21, 2009
National Partnership For Development
Savings Loans Association in it's aim to contribute to the millennium development goals of reducing poverty strives to collaborate with other partners inorder to expand impact.
Working withe the St.Charles Lwanga Parish Health Clinic, the program offers health care services to thos who desperately need support but are not able to meet the costs associated with it.
As stipulated in the millennium development goals # 8, SLA is working with the Clinic to help serve more children and their families with basic health care such as the treament of opportunistic infections, skin rushes and Voluntary Counseling and Testing for HIV.
SLA gave a donation of 1m Kwachas ($220) for the purchase of medications at the clinic.
Donating the check is Ms Jean Nkatah, Tresurer of SLA to the Head Priest at St Charles Lwanga Parish Clinic. The donation would offer a treatment course of Malaria for almost 20 people.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Sponsor your name to support a women Group in Zambia
Savings loans Association (SLA) has now initiated a program that allows interested groups/individuals to sponsor a group of women to help them improve their livelihoods.The group will bare the name of the sponsor-example: " John Banda SLA Groups" We will then send you a picture of the group and offer you an opportunity to know how the life of the members will be impacted by your support. You will also be given an apportunity to directly contact your sponored group to start an innovative micro enterprise activity that will help them generate income to support other members of their family and send children to school
What YOU can do:
Sponsor a group of 5 women with a grant of $1,000 and ask them to provide you with a plan of action on how they will kick-start a basic micro enterprise initiative that will allow them to help improve their lives out of poverty. The group will have your name associated to the the group as the key sponsor of the group.
Share this information to others who would be interested to sponsor a group
Qualification for being a group member
1) Each member will have a minimum of 3 children under her care
2) Each member will meet the minimum requirements under the SLA selection creteria for support that includes amoung others : Classified as disproportionately poor with little or no source of income; Directly impacted by HIV/AIDS through the death of spouse
Be part of this initiative and help to change the lives of women who desperatly need help
What YOU can do:
Sponsor a group of 5 women with a grant of $1,000 and ask them to provide you with a plan of action on how they will kick-start a basic micro enterprise initiative that will allow them to help improve their lives out of poverty. The group will have your name associated to the the group as the key sponsor of the group.
Share this information to others who would be interested to sponsor a group
Qualification for being a group member
1) Each member will have a minimum of 3 children under her care
2) Each member will meet the minimum requirements under the SLA selection creteria for support that includes amoung others : Classified as disproportionately poor with little or no source of income; Directly impacted by HIV/AIDS through the death of spouse
Be part of this initiative and help to change the lives of women who desperatly need help
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