Stories
February 24, 2026 • 4 min read
In Sierra Leone’s Western Area Rural District, many rural women depend on small-scale farming but remain vulnerable to shocks such as illness and poor harvests. Village Savings and Loan Associations supported by GOAL Sierra Leone provide a community-based way for women to save, borrow, and build resilience. Aminata Turay joined a VSLA after initially fearing loans and later used it to cover her daughter’s medical expenses without falling into debt. Over time, she built savings, reinvested in her farm, and gained greater financial security for her family.
Joseph Johnson, Communication Officer
In Sierra Leone’s Western Area Rural District, many rural women depend on small-scale farming to feed their families and earn modest incomes. Irregular harvests, health emergencies, and limited access to affordable financial services often leave households vulnerable with little cushion when something goes wrong.
Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), supported by GOAL Sierra Leone, offer an alternative, community-based system that combines saving, borrowing, and mutual support, allowing members to build resilience using their own resources.
Living One Harvest at a Time
Aminata Turay was excited as she led me down a narrow path surrounded by tall grass and scattered trees in Tisana, a coastal village. I had first met her months earlier at a VSLA share-out ceremony, where her name surfaced again and again among women proudly counting their savings. This time, after a follow-up phone call, she had agreed to show me her garden.
When we arrived a few meters from her house, Aminata picked up a hoe and began weeding potato leaves, her movements practised and steady. Between the scrape of metal against soil, she spoke openly about her past.
“I used to live from hand to mouth,” she said, wiping sweat from her brow with her wrapper. “Whatever I harvested, we ate. There was nothing left to save.”
She farms nearly an acre, growing cassava leaves, potato leaves, corn, okra, and other crops. The harvest sustained her household and brought in small earnings until illness disrupted everything. In 2025, her 31-year-old daughter fell seriously sick, and Aminata faced medical costs she could not cover.
“I didn’t want to take microcredit,” she told me firmly. “I have seen so many women end in disgrace because they couldn’t pay back. I didn’t want that shame.”
For many women in rural communities, a single illness or poor harvest can lead to debt that is hard to escape.
Learning to Trust Saving Together
Her hesitation toward loans made her wary when she first heard about the Village Savings and Loan Association introduced by GOAL Sierra Leone during a community dialogue session.
“I thought, how can I save when I barely have enough to eat?” she recalled. “And we’ve heard stories of people keeping your money and then disappearing.”
What changed her mind was the structure. The group received training and simple but transparent tools: a lockable cash box, record books, savings cards, a calculator, and a stamp pad. Unlike the Osusu groups she was familiar with, this VSLA combined savings with access to loans and a social fund.
“What you give is what you get at the end,” Aminata explained. “But here, you can borrow and still save.”
When her daughter needed urgent treatment, Aminata took her first loan of 1,000 Leones (€38). “It took me three months to pay, including interest, without pressure,” she said, smiling. “That day, I knew this was different.”
For the first time, she felt she could face an emergency without fear of losing everything.
From Survival to Possibility
By the end of the VSLA cycle, Aminata had saved 2,345 Leones (€88), an amount she once believed was impossible.
“I am going to buy medicine and fertiliser to develop my garden,” she said, her eyes alight. “And I will reinvest the rest by saving it again in the VSLA.”
Her experience mirrors the broader results of the Tamemsu VSLA, launched in November 2024 with 30 members. In its first cycle, the group saved 55,380 Leones (€2,105), issued loans totalling 32,100 Leones (€1,220), generated 1,630 Leones (€62) in interest, and built a social fund of 2,716 Leones (€103). For Aminata, these figures translate into reassurance.
“Before, I didn’t know how to save,” she admitted. “Now, I feel secure. If something happens tomorrow, I know I have something to fall back on.”
She now dreams of expanding her garden, experimenting with cash crops, and possibly investing in rice farming if she can accumulate enough capital.
“I would encourage other women to join,” she said. “This is an easy process with less burden compared to microfinance institutions. It helps you to be financially disciplined and comes through for you in times of emergencies. Imagine if I had gone to a microfinance institution to take a loan for my child’s bill, I couldn’t even imagine what would have happened. Thank God for this VSLA.”
In communities like Tisana, savings groups are doing more than helping women set money aside; they are reshaping how families cope with risk and plan for the future.
