

Savings Groups Spur Recovery in Central African Republic
Ever since she was a young girl, Mariam Fata dreamed of owning her own farm. Her father passed away when she was just six years old and she was taken in by her uncle, a farmer.

Mariam Fata harvests peanut plants on her farm.
Photo by Jennifer Lazuta/CRS
“Peanuts, okra, cassava, sorghum, millet, sesame, maize … I learned everything from my uncle,” she says.
Many years later, Mariam’s dream did come true. She and her husband, a former teacher, bought some land. They worked side by side, planting and harvesting each season. But then tragedy struck a few years ago when an accident left her husband paralyzed.
“I had children to care for and was now the only one providing for the family, plus the medical costs,” she says. “But I couldn’t go to the farm because I had to care for my husband. It had a big impact on our lives.”
Then, in late 2023, staff from the I Londo I Mai project came to her village. I Londo I Mai, which means “rise up and grow together” in the local language, is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance. Catholic Relief Services and local partner All for Peace and Dignity manage the project, and provide short-term emergency assistance as well as longer-term development activities.

As treasurer of her local savings group, Mariam Fata is in charge of the money box.
Photo by Jennifer Lazuta/CRS
Project staff introduced Mariam and her neighbors to the Savings and Internal Lending Community methodology, also known as SILC. Group members contribute to collective savings, and learn about money management and investment. Members have the opportunity to take out small loans to start or build up business activities—they also receive their share of savings plus a share of interest earned from loan repayment.
Mariam saw the benefits and joined her local SILC group, ultimately becoming treasurer. Over the course of the year, she took out a few loans totaling $170, which she used to buy raw materials to make soap to sell.
Mariam was also invited to take part in training on improved agricultural techniques. By that time, her children were older and more independent, and her husband didn’t require constant care, so she accepted. Over the course of six days, in the classroom and on demonstration plots, she learned about seed placement, crop rotation and other methods to improve yields.

Mariam Fata with some of the peanuts she grew on her farm.
Photo by Jennifer Lazuta/CRS
“Everything I learned from the training, gave me a sense of renewed motivation because I can do better than I did before,” she says. “It is things my uncle didn’t even know. And this will help me support my family and life. So I am grateful for this.”
Mariam recently used SILC savings to hire workers to plant peanuts on her land. She now dreams of starting to farm more regularly again and plans to buy more land.
“Agriculture gives you a lot,” she says. “You can eat [the crops] or sell them for money. I am proud to be among those that feed others and at the same time have money from market sales and food in the pot. I know farming. If nothing else, I can have food for my family.”
I Londo I Mai is a 24-month project that began in June 2023 and runs through May 2025. The project is funded by USAID/BHA, and implemented by Catholic Relief Services with our local partner All for Peace and Dignity. The project strengthens the capacity of vulnerable and conflict-affected families and improve their economic resilience, particularly in the sub-prefectures of Bouar, Bossemptélé and Bozoum in the northwest of the Central African Republic.
To achieve this goal, the project conducted three in-kind food distributions to families affected by conflict and included a cash transfer for nutrient-rich products, the distribution of seeds and farming tools, and training on agricultural practices to improve agricultural production.
In addition to ensuring access to food, the project also facilitated the creation and support of Savings and Internal Lending Communities groups. It included training on developing business plans for young entrepreneurs and sanctioned cash grants for start-ups to improve paricipants’ economic recovery. More than 19,000 people benefited from the ILIM project in 2024.