Margaret's Story
“Just red land as far as the eye can see…” Margaret stops counting the money in her hands for a second and looks out into the distance beyond the camp borders. A river is flowing marking the end line for the refugees movement.
Margaret is a 32 year old Congolese woman living in Nyarugusu refugee camp and has done so for 22 years.
The savings group meeting is held in someones backyard. A group of women and men are sitting on woven mats on the ground, the soles of their feet coloured red from the soil. The only thing covering their heads from the sweltering heat is the crown of a big tree. Margaret has been a member of the savings group for four weeks now and her expectations of what it can bring her are high.
“I have a lot of hope with this savings group. It would be nice to have some savings or be able to take a loan in case of an emergency”.
With its 12,000 hectars, Nyaruguse refugee camp is the third largest camp in the world and it hosts over 120,000 refugees.
“Most of us have been living here for over 20 years, I myself came here in 1996 when I was just a kid. The only thing I can do now, is make sure that my future in the camp is stable for myself and my children.”
Refugees in Nyarugusu camp do not have access to formal employment outside of the camp so many of them engage in some kind of business activity within the camp. Common business activities include selling food stuffs in the market, selling clothes, soap making, street food vendors and other jobs you would be able to find in a regular village.
“I have a restaurant business not far away from the market. I cook rice, beans, grill meat, I serve cassava bread, vegetables and ugali.”
Because Tanzanias encampment policies restrict refugees from leaving the camp or seek formal employment, it's very hard for refugees to generate an income and consequently to handle shocks to their finances in case of sickness or unpredictable expenses. That is why the UNCDF's savings group initiative is so important. The savings groups allows refugees to mobilise their resources, create a support system and help each other to better plan their finances through the training that they receive in the savings group meetings.
“By joining the savings group I have learned a lot of lessons on how to manage my finances better. I have a lot of hope for the future thanks to this group".
Thanks to savings groups a lot more refugees in Nyarugusu Camp are economically empowered today. Women like Margaret are able to receive capital to finance their business ideas which in turn helps them to better support themselves and their families. Thanks to her savings group, Margaret can now invest in her future.
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