Following the meeting, the students divided into groups to address the initial status of each objective. The group focused on savings culture, visited the Community Fund office to review recent savings records and frequency of deposits while the child’s account group headed over to the school to speak with teachers about the viability of their plan. The loans group went door-to-door throughout the community with local translators to speak with community members about their financial histories and microloan interests.
The openness of all the community members we met was wonderful, everyone was eager to shake hands and make friends. What defines Egyankwa as a community is truly the dedication of several key leaders, from the 81-year-old treasurer of the Community Fund to Isaac and Phillip, two passionate young schoolteachers. Everyone was genuinely excited to work with us and contribute in some way to Microfinance Brigades. In the span of the 10-day brigade, over 100 new savers had opened accounts at the Community Fund, six applicants had received loans and over 30 school-aged children had opened their first savings accounts.
