To be a hero takes a mile to travel through intelligence, support and mentorship. However, Savings group is collective of people who support each other by helping their assembly to process their saving of money at Local level. This might seem like is not a big deal, but in Ratau community Council Adolescent Girls and Young Women turned to take saving seriously like nobody’ business. Poverty surrounding those AGYWs means that there has been a little or no financial independence before being part of our team in Karabo ea Bophelo at Society for women and AIDs in Africa Lesotho. Most of them have been seen as unable of handling their savings until they have been trained by our field cadres and then that they observed their capabilities. The major objective of establishing the savings group is to support local development through financial intermediation.
The savings groups grew from innovative Economic Empowerment program that was set up to give Adolescent Girls and Young Women by Karabo Ea Bophelo with forming groups and having access in training and apprenticeships. Under Ratau community council, SWAALES through Dreams supervisor and field Cadres formed 28 groups of saving with the population of 343 AGYWs that managed to save their money to help diversify their livelihood activities of Local Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYWs). Ratau community council Dreams staff brought together AGYWs to save for mutual agreeable objectives to support their household’s activities at the end of every year.
Liteboho Lebabo is a girl aged 14, who resides in Ratau community Council in a village called Ha Seeiso. She is leaving with her mother Mantjepela Lebabo. Liteboho is a single orphan, which is dedicated in her leadership skills in Savings group. She is always on time and makes sure that each an every AGYW has to abide by the group laws or follows the constitutional regulations. She leads by examples. She gained her leadership skill during the course of the year under the mentorship that she was been given by her mentor. This shows a lot of success since children deny to attend sessions. Liteboho show that she will be resilient even after the project phase-out.
Liteboho turned to be a protagonist since hear leadership have started from nowhere but with respect and having a dream that one day she will like to be an accountant. “I would like to work at the bank when I have finished my studies,”Liteboho stated. This was driven by the question of why she is so passionate about savings group. She even mentioned that to be a hero one has to work hard like a slave in order to live like a king. That is how she rise from Zero to Hero. Liteboho have motivated most of her age made since she has been a chairperson of her group.