Behind the scenes with Zaida Bastos, Africa Program Coordinator

Zaida Bastos has been with The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund since 1998, and is currently the Africa Program Coordinator.

Here, Zaida shares what’s in store for 2009 in Mozambique, with exciting news about a new micro-credit institution. Image Gallery.

Among other priorities in 2009, I will be concentrating my efforts on the opening of a new micro-credit institution or “Caixa” for women in Nacala, Mozambique. It promises to be both exciting and challenging.

A project like this takes a lot of planning, consultation and preparation. I’ve learned over the years to always expect the unexpected. 2009 is also the year that The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund marks its 50th Anniversary through education, awareness, fundraising and celebration. The opening of the Caixa Nacala will only add to the celebration of the many ways in which PWRDF walks with partners as we work together to ensure sustainability and social justice for all.

Already radio announcements are being broadcast in Nacala telling women that the Caixa is open and inviting them to come and learn more. There is growing excitement. We are recruiting members for the Nacala Board of Directors and have hired a local staff person. We are also in discussions with local authorities around securing their endorsement of the project.

The next step will be to open a permanent facility that will operate as a loan office. I will be traveling to Mozambique twice in 2009 to oversee the progress that is being made. In the meantime, I am in almost daily email contact with partners in Nacala and am participating twice a month in conference calls to provide advise and guidance.

Below, please find more information about this important work.

CAIXA, a big success story

Economic empowerment has long been acknowledged as one of the first steps in addressing the need for more balanced gender relations.

In fact, studies in western and southern Africa show that the incidence of HIV and AIDS is significantly lower in areas where women run their own small businesses. The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund has had remarkable success in empowering women in the Province of Nampula, in Mozambique.

PWRDF has worked with a small micro-credit organization in the city of Nampula for more than 10 years. An initial group of 147 women came together with the equivalent of $7 to set-up a loan-providing organization that would allow them access to funds to finance their small businesses. They called themselves the CAIXA das Mulheres de Nampula (CMN), but are familiarly known as CAIXA, which means box in Portuguese. By calling the organization “box” they were implying that the organization was their safe place to put their funds, without the risk of their partners/husbands siphoning off their hard earned savings.

From the outset the CAIXA women have endorsed the idea that the organization is to be for and run by women. Step by step, PWRDF accompanied this group of women by providing grants, professional assistance and advice. Many of the members are unable to read or write which is challenging when forming a board. However, with training and perseverance, little by little the group became stronger and stronger. From the initial membership of 147, today the organization boasts a membership of 3,457 members and continues to grow. The initial $7 in capital has multiplied to the respectable amount of US $255,000. CAIXA members now showcase a variety of very successful businesses. They run stores, import and export businesses, restaurants, hairdressing salons and much more. There are examples of female entrepreneurs having created employment not only for their spouses, but also for other men as well. Other women have arranged loans and invested in their spouse’s income-generating projects.

All of this has led to some women reporting that their relationships with their spouses have improved after becoming CAIXA members, which permits them access to credit and a safe place to deposit their money. Evidence is growing that relationships between men and women are improving as men realize that their spouses have the power to help them. Aside from the economic gains, there is an undeniable gain in term of women’s participation in decision-making processes. Membership in CAIXA has heightened women’s ability to negotiate government structures; participate in community-managed bodies; exercise their right to have their voices heard in democratic processes; and strengthened the knowledge base and required skills for small business and micro-credit management.

Most of all, women are proud that they are providing levels of higher education for their children. A whole generation of university-educated youth populates the city of Nampula thanks to the CAIXA and micro-credit. In less than a generation, members of CAIXA das Mulheres de Nampula have lifted their families out of poverty and redefined some of the variables defining gender relations. As Caixa members know, economic empowerment is a very powerful tool.

Encouraged by the success of their organization, another micro-credit organization will open in the city of Nacala, in the province of Nampula.

Both the new “Caixa” opening to the women in Nacala and PWRDF have much to celebrate and give thanks for in 2009. It is a very symbolic time for both.