One of the largest part of Joliba’s activities has been providing funds to rural women, so that they can start small enterprises.

This began with £80 for vegetable seed to 22 women in 1992, and grew into a fund which supported income-generation for some 12,000 women in eleven districts. The fund is now autonomous and is wholly managed by the women’s groups. Our work continues to support women to ‘save for change’ so that they can start small enterprises using their own resources.

​

With small amounts of money, women are able to start small enterprises such as raising sheep or livestock; buying seeds to plant better and more varied crops; growing vegetables or starting small market activities such as buying and selling goods, setting up food stalls on market days, making butter, or pressing peanut, shea or neem oil.

​

The small amounts of income raised bring more security to very poor families. It means that women can provide a better and more varied diet for their children; they can buy soap, clothing, and materials the children need for school; and they can take children to the health centres when they are ill.

Women’s ability to buy and transport goods from greater distances has brought a wider variety of nutritional food to the area, such as dried fish or vegetables which cannot be grown locally.