Savings Groups Develop Community Leaders in Benin

Under the shade of large trees on a sunny Sunday, Rose Iwa Oloutoyi stands among the members of a savings group she started.

Rose, a mother of four from Agbon, in central Benin, describes herself as shy and uneasy in social situations, previously unable to speak in public. “Despite help from relatives and friends, I struggled with social interactions,” she says. “Solitude was my refuge, but it isolated me from community life.”

 

Rose Iwa Oloutoyi, a mother of four, leads a savings group called Kadjola, which means "let's grow together" in the local Nagot language, in Benin.

Photo by Jean-Michel Kpakpo/CRS 

 

Then, in August 2023, she took a chance and passed a recruitment test to become a field agent for the Kadjogbé Fou Itounou project, which means “let’s live and work together in peace” in the local Nagot language.

“Before, I had no fixed activity or stable income,” Rose says. “I tried all kinds of training without promising results. I was alone taking care of my children. All of this made things very difficult for me.”

Implemented by Catholic Relief Services and our local partner Caritas Dassa, the Kadjogbé Fou Itounou project supports the economic resilience of vulnerable community members through savings groups and youth entrepreneurship, while promoting social cohesion and reducing the risks of violence.

“Thanks to this project, my life has changed,” Rose says. “Today, I can mobilize communities, form groups and manage their development.”

Rose says this decision marked a major turning point in her life.

“Thanks to the training and coaching, I was able to develop my self-esteem, confidence and leadership,” she says.

Through the CRS Savings and Internal Lending Community methodology, or SILC, Rose participated in activities and engaged in interactions with community members, enabling her to overcome her shyness, speak confidently in front of large audiences and have a positive impact on her community, she says.

As a result of her new determination and regained confidence, Rose successfully organized meetings with local authorities and communities to introduce them to the SILC program. Her initial goal was to form six groups, but with commitment and community support, she created 12 groups in less than three months, doubling her expectations.

 

Rose Iwa Oloutoyi leads members a savings group in central Benin.

Photo by Jean-Michel Kpakpo/CRS   

 

She was ranked the top private service provider in the Kadjogbé Fou Itounou project. As a provider, Rose offers fee-based services to promote the sustainability and effective functioning of the savings groups.

Thanks to Rose's commitment, 219 women and 49 men joined the 12 savings groups she created. Together with other savings groups in Benin, they saved about $15,000, loaned over $7,000 to support their economic activities, and set aside more than nearly $1,000 for a solidarity fund to support group members in times of hardship such as funerals, as well as to celebrate joyful events such as births and weddings.

As a private service provider, Rose says she is more determined than ever to continue promoting SILC activities to reduce the economic vulnerability of her community while fostering social cohesion and solidarity among the different members of the Bantè community.

“I am grateful,” Rose says. “My transformation is my greatest success, as the training from the Kadjogbé Fou Itounou project has helped me become a more confident person with skills that enable me to contribute to my community. Kadjogbé Fou Itounou has made me an influential person in my community.”

​The Kadjogbé Fou Itounou project is a U.S. Agency for International Development, People-to-People Peacebuilding program. Developed in response to political conflicts in 2019 and the recurrent community conflicts between farmers and herders, Kadjogbé Fou Itounou promotes social understanding, encouraging intra- and inter-group collaboration, 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 activities through the Savings and Internal Lending Community methodology and youth entrepreneurship approaches, 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 Benin’s Borgou and Collines departments, the activities expanded to three other 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.

 

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