MOBAYE, Central African Republic — Women in Mobaye are using jointly managed savings to meet household expenses and invest in small businesses, farming and livestock, with support from a UN Women-backed project.

The initiative supports 13 Village Savings and Loan Associations in the town, bringing together 350 community members. It operates through the SEDOUTI Project, funded by the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund.

In the Nzakara neighbourhood, members of the Ye Ti Maboko association save 500 CFA francs each week. By the end of its first savings cycle, the group had accumulated nearly 600,000 CFA francs.

Small contributions, practical investments

The money has provided members with access to funds for needs that can be difficult to cover with limited resources.

Henriette Yambata received 38,000 CFA francs, which she used to help pay her children’s school fees, strengthen her business and support household economic activities. Djamila Mahamat received 46,000 CFA francs to expand her doughnut business and develop a catering activity.

Elisabeth Yeti put 70,000 CFA francs toward cultivating maize, cassava and rice, while Kaltouma Moustapha invested her savings in poultry and duck farming.

Florence Passera used part of 50,000 CFA francs to repay debts. She said her personal savings were used to pay her children’s school fees.

For members, the associations provide more than a way to set money aside. Marceline Keba, a member of Ye Ti Maboko, said collective saving had increased the women’s confidence and made it possible to consider projects they could not previously finance.

“We have learned to save together and keep our money secure. Today, we have greater confidence in ourselves, and we can consider projects that we could not finance before,” Keba said.

Women involved in the groups have also described greater participation in household decision-making and stronger solidarity among members.

Economic support and social cohesion

UN Women’s support forms part of a broader SEDOUTI programme. The project combines assistance for women’s economic initiatives with psychosocial support, social cohesion activities and efforts to promote more equitable relationships between women and men.

SEDOUTI means “well-being” in Sango. Its full title is “Improving the Security Environment and Consolidating Peace through the Community-Based Reintegration of Former Combatants in the Central African Republic.”

The programme also includes Da Ti SEDOUTI, a community agro-processing facility that has been built and equipped with four machines to support women’s economic activities.

Women intend to take part in the facility’s long-term management through an established Local Management Committee. They also hope it will become a lasting asset for future generations of women entrepreneurs in Mobaye.

Ye Ti Maboko means “The Fruit of One’s Hands” in the local language. The association’s experience illustrates how regular contributions, pooled within a trusted community structure, can be directed toward immediate family needs as well as longer-term economic activities.