Afrilosophy

Hon. Isata Kabia explaining to P.C and other MPs how she started the project



Hon. Isata Kabia leading a March with Grandaunts along the street in Lunsar

The Honorable Member of Parliament for Constituency 050 in Port Loko District,

Hon. Isata Kabia on Saturday 19th December 2015 satisfied 150 self-reliant

community

women who participated in an annual Village Saving and Loan Scheme (VSL).

The graduation ceremony was held at the Lunsar Town Hall in the Marampa

Chiefdom

in Port Loko District. The meeting attracted several important personalities

including the Paramount Chief Bai Koblo Queen 11 of Marampa, the Honorable

Member of Parliament representing Constituency 055, Hon. Binneh Kamara,

Honorable Kombor Kamara of Constituency 056 all of Port Loko District.

Traditional rulers, community youths, women’s groups, elders and senior

stakeholders attended the ceremony.

The Village Saving and Loan Scheme (VSL) was supported by Honorable

Isata Kabia.

The initiative gears towards poverty reduction in order to make community

women economically viable in a mining community like Lunsar where most of

the employees are men. The objective of VSL is to building self-financial

capacity for the development of their membership in order to avoid the

problems and large interest of micro credit entities.

In His Welcome address, the Town Chief of Lunsar Alfred, Kamara said the

initiative of the Honorable Isata Kabia is very special and laudable for their

community. He disclosed that women are special assets in any society and

whosoever supports them will get special reward from God. He expressed

appreciation to all those who put away their busy schedules to attend the

event. Chairlady of the ceremony Madam Asonta Banna told guests that

such an initiative will empower women. According to her, when women are

financially strong in a community, they will bring hope and development.

“I thank the Honorable Member, this initiative will make women grow and

develop the society” she maintained.

Honorable Binneh Bangura who also doubles as Co-Chairman of the ceremony

described the initiative as a very big programme that will benefit women and help

them to be self-sufficient. “I and Honorable Kombor are here to learn from this

initiative and take the experience to our constituents” he disclosed.

He said Hon. Isata Kabia is an exemplary role model with eminent prowess not

only in Sierra Leone Parliament but in the Pan African Parliament in South African.

He appealed to the people to continuously honor and respect her as their leader,

pointing out that leadership comes from God.

Honorable Kombor Kamara also made a similar statement but raised serious

concern

over the financial capacity of women. He said when women are empowered they

have no hesitation to providing welfares and care for the homes. “I will take this

Village Saving and Loan Scheme to my constituents in Lokomasa” he assured.

In his contributions, a senior stakeholder, Mr. Osman Karankay Conteh who had

been a strong aspirant for the APC symbol said in any competition one has to be

very watchful because, if your opponent is doing so well, the necessity of pushing

dissipates if you are honest, and it would be better to support. He said Members

of Parliament had been elected, performed and gone but Hon. Isata Kabia is

playing an outstanding and unique developmental role in her constituency and

as such one would not challenge her.

On her part, one of the VSL group chairladies, Madam Mariatu Fofana said the

initiative is different from all other forms of loans and saving schemes. “This

initiative protects us from the trouble and extorting interest of certain financial

institutions that offer loans” she disclosed. She said currently members of her

group are financially viable and always under take business without any qualms.

“We give loans to our members, use the money to support our members whenever

they problems that require our support” she disclosed.

The Paramount Chief of Marampa expressed satisfaction over the initiative and

offered special prayers for Madam Isata Kabia. According to him, when mining

activities came to a halt, the strangers left their community for their permanent

destinations but the indigenes remain. He said since then, Hon. Isata Kabia has

been very instrumental in bringing progress and hope to the community women.

In her Keynote address, Hon. Isata Kabia Said the initiative started in 2014 with

two groups of women. According to her, in December 2014, when the first group

graduated, 5 more groups registered under VSL. She said a financial manager

supervised the weekly meetings, incorporating financial literacy training. She

disclosed that there were 30 people in each of the five groups. Each group

held weekly meetings at which they made their financial contributions and

savings, she disclosed, adding that their little amounts accumulated to about

one hundred and eighty one million Leones before their graduation ceremony.

The participants will now use the money to provide loans for their membership

without any extortion from any banks or micro credit institutions. “They will

also use their savings to support their welfare and other social activities

including the education of their children, health care services and any other

support” .

Following this ceremony, Hon. Isata Kabia plans to support the next seven

groups in constituency 50. Three of these groups have derived their membership

from Ebola survivors and widows.