THE SADC GENDER PROTOCOL SUMMIT 2014 ECONOMIC JUSTICE: Women save to improve standard of living (SOUTH AFRICA: JOHANNESBURG , MAY 2014, KELETSO DAMBE) 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA SYNOPSIS Botswana Homeless & Poor Peoples Federation is a network of poor communities who aim to fight poverty, gender based violence, diseases, access land, improve housing and develop basic infrastructure in their communities. Save money to improve livelihoods. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA OBJECTIVES To empower women economically To change people’s mindset (dependency) To unite the community To give women a platform to be at the centre of strategies that address poverty and gender inequality. To address health issues 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA BACKGROUND The initiative came about in 2011 to reduce dependency and build a strong voice of the poor to help them come up with initiatives that can improve their standard of living 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA KEY ACTIVITIES The project started in Monarch Francistown. Kgotla meetings were done to sensitize the community about doing daily savings. Focus groups were held to educate and empower women to save. Kgosi’s, ward development committees and other leaders were also sensitized. House to house campaigns were also done to sensitize people about improving their lives. 6 Saving schemes/groups were formed in April 2011 as pilot groups and more groups then followed outside Francistown that is Gaborone and Selebi Phikwe. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA RESOURCE ALLOCATIONS   Amount local currency (specify) Amount in Rand Gender specific allocation Gender in mainstream projects (please specify) Amount contributed in cash or in kind by partner organisations (please specify)  P25 000.00 Donated by sdi - Members contributions  R27 000 TOTAL 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA BENEFICIARIES  CATEGORY WOMEN MEN TOTAL % WOMEN Direct beneficiaries  1021  104 1125 90% Indirect beneficiaries (e.g. through other networks)   Online beneficiaries (e.g. website access, mailing lists, scholarly articles) Total 9.2% 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

CHALLENGES Difficulty in acquisition of land ownership by some members. Transportation Lack of commitment by some members. PERSEVERE TO OVERCOME CHALLENGES 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

MONITORING AND EVALUATION Have a (reporting form) which tracks number of people saving, attending meetings and projects monthly. Every member takes responsibility to monitor progress of projects. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

RESULTS Women’s empowerment Women are able to save to improve livelihoods (Cumulative daily savings P395 926.48 & Urban Poor Fund P11 751.22 started in 2013) - 150 women connected water - 25 women have connected electricity - 45 women changed pit latrines to water system, - 455 women have paid school fees, for children and buy school uniform). - 125 women paid SHHA loans & service levy All 227 leadership positions are held by women.

Evidence (Balondi Makgaba left picture) put tap in her yard Dyna Mateisi (right picture) blind federation member put up a flushing toilet in her yard (middle picture).

Men for change Men are now able to buy kitchen utensils (Right picture; Thusano Nkono) John Tshenyego (right picture) participate in the federation activities where women are his leaders.

Public participation EXAMPLE; international women’s day and wellness days. Left picture (Keletso Dambe) addressing the community about saving to get out of poverty. Middle picture (Masego Khathola) addressing the community about health Right picture (from left is the Chief , Head of Social Development and the Deputy Mayor) at the federation wellness day where the community participated

Outreach through the media The federation work has been covered by the media Botswana Gazette 23-24 May 2012 title “Just P1 a day”. Daily News January 08, 2013 No. 003 title “Mokgatho o tokafatsa matshelo”. Daily News Thursday February 14, 2013 No. 30 page 8 title “Itekeng saving scheme eradicates poverty”. Mmegi Friday 26 July vol 30, no. 109 title “Monarch women team up to fight poverty”. The Midweek Sun Wednesday 21, 2013 “Self help saving scheme gives hope to the F/town’s poor”.

Changes at household level Josephine Pulugwane from Bazezuru tribe has testified that her husband is no longer the only one in control at the house and finances.

Capacity building Put together skills of knitting, baking and jam production to create income generating projects to make a living. Left Picture (Poultry) built and run by federation women

Changes in attitudes Instead of wasting money in alcohol people now save to develop their lives. Mma Dorcus has testified to that (right picture). Left picture (community waiting to do testing).

LESSON LEARNED AND INNOVATION Poor but not hopeless. Families are able to create a collective financial “buffer” against the daily hardships of poverty. The cycle of saving, lending and loan repaying built into the process helps members to develop financial management skills. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

LEARNING AND SHARING WITH OTHER COUNCILS Met officials of Selebi Phikwe Town Council during the BALA and Gender Summit in April 2013, Gaborone; Botswana. They invited the (federation) in June 2013 to sensitize the community and started savings groups in July 2013. There are now 5 saving groups in Selebi Phikwe Saving groups have also been established in Gaborone (4) and Maun (2). 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

Evidence of starting Phikwe groups The community listening attentively about the federation

SUSTAINABILITY AND REPLICATION Federations are proven to be effective, sustainable, and manageable to replicate as it is managed by the members. Federation of the poor started in the mid 1980s by Slum/Shack Dwellers International in India, and have travelled to Brazil, Argentina, Thailand, Phillipines, Cambodia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and many more countries in SADC and Africa as a whole. Federations have been replicated all around the world, and will continue to replicate in Botswana. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA KEY PRIORITIES FOR 2014 Engage local authorities and national government for acquisition of land. Locate other partners to work with Buying plots and building of houses Mobilize masses of people to join the federation Federation income generating projects such as that of bakery, poultry and jam production be developed such that they can get a market in retail shops. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

THANK YOU!!!!!!!! Haatshe ka lehuma haatshe!!!!!!! Haatshe ka kgokgontsho haatshe!!!!!! PHAMBILI BO MAMA PHAMBILI!!!!!!!!