Benin Savings Groups Build Financial Security
Idjigba Onibukou became the sole provider for seven children after the death of her husband in 2017. Her recurring health problems added to her challenges.
"I often fell ill and had a lot of difficulties managing daily life with my small family, especially after my husband passed away," she says.
Idjigba Onibukou, a farmer and mother of seven children, is a member of the Kadjola savings group in Benin.
Photo by Jean-Michel Kpakpo/CRS
Idjigba lives in the village of Agbon in Benin. The roof of her house was destroyed by storms, adding to her burdens.
"When it rains, my room is completely flooded, preventing me from lying down or even sitting,” she says. “I have to use containers to collect the rainwater to limit the damage."
In October 2023, Idjigba joined a savings group called Kadjola, which means "let’s grow together" in the local Nagot language. The group, which was organized using Catholic Relief Services’ Savings and Internal Lending Community methodology, includes 22 women and 2 men who collectively manage savings and lending activities. They established a solidarity fund to support each other in times of hardship such as funerals, as well as to celebrate joyful events such as births and weddings.
The Kadjola group was formed as part of the Kadjogbé Fou Itounou project implemented by CRS and our partner Caritas Dassa. The project, with a name translates to "let’s live and work together for peace," helps members to improve their financial stability by providing financial education, supporting savings groups, and encouraging young people to start businesses—all while fostering stronger community bonds and thereby reducing the risk of violent conflict.
In Benin, members of the Kadjola savings group meet with a field agent from CRS’ Kadjogbé Fou Itounou project to discuss the group’s activities.
Photo by Jean-Michel Kpakpo/CRS
Idjigba saves about 80 cents per week, although sometimes it’s difficult for her to gather that amount. She remains motivated, knowing that this effort will gradually allow her to expand her economic activities.
When Idjigba fell ill during the last farming season, she had already plowed her field in preparation for planting soybeans, but poor health prevented her from continuing her work when the first rains arrived.
Without informing her, the other members of her group used their own funds, bought soybean seeds and went to her field to plant them. Only after finishing did they come to inform her of their gesture.
Idjigba says she was touched by this act of solidarity.
"I was surprised and moved when I heard the news,” she says. “I asked them where they had found the seeds, and they reassured me by saying not to worry anymore. Then, they told me to consider the problem solved and to leave the rest in God’s hands."
As her savings group members sing, Idjigba dances to celebrate her recovery and express her gratitude to her peers for their support, particularly during the soybean planting season while she was ill.
Photo by Jean-Michel Kpakpo/CRS
Thanks to this invaluable support, Idjigba hopes for a fruitful harvest and plans to further develop her income-generating activities to better provide for her family’s needs.
In addition to the savings activities that support individual income‑generating initiatives, such as farming or trade, the members of the Kadjola savings group also work together to process cassava into cassava flour and tapioca, further strengthening members’ financial capacity.
Idjigba plans to use the income generated to cover her health needs and support the education of her youngest daughter, who is currently in high school.
"Given the state of disrepair of my house, I also dream of rebuilding it to live better," she says.
The Kadjogbé Fou Itounou project is part of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s People-to-People Peacebuilding program. Developed in response to political and community conflicts, Kadjogbé Fou Itounou promotes social understanding, and mitigates risks of electoral violence, farmer-herder conflicts, the frustration of disadvantaged groups, and violent spillover from neighboring countries.
The project also supports economic inclusion through savings groups and youth entrepreneurship, as well as integrated gender-responsive and transformative interventions. First implemented in March 2023 by Catholic Relief Services and our partners Caritas Parakou and Caritas Dassa in four communes of the Borgou and Collines departments, the activities expanded to the other three departments of northern Benin—Alibori, Atacora and Donga. In its extended phase, the Kadjogbé Fou Itounou project aims to reach 11,336 direct beneficiaries and 70,583 indirect beneficiaries by the project's completion in August 2026.
