Stories
July 22, 2026 • 3 min read
Access to savings has enabled women in a rural community in Niger to turn small financial contributions into new sources of income and greater economic independence. After completing their first Village Savings and Loan Association cycle, two mothers combined part of their savings to establish a peanut oil business that is already generating profits and creating work for other women. Their success is encouraging more women to join local savings groups and invest in their own livelihoods.
Angoual Malam is a rural farming community located 7 km southeast of Mirriah in Niger’s Zinder region. Like many villages in the Sahel, livelihoods depend largely on small-scale agriculture and informal trade, both highly sensitive to rainfall variability, rising input costs, and recurring food and nutrition insecurity.
Household incomes are typically low and irregular, with limited access to formal financial services, credit, or structured savings mechanisms. Women in particular face restricted economic opportunities and often rely on subsistence farming, small livestock rearing, or income shared within household structures. Even minor financial shocks can significantly affect food consumption, schooling, and household stability.
Recognizing these constraints, GOAL has supported the introduction of Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) in Angoual Malam through the UNITLIFE project, funded by the Mohammed Bin Rashed Al Maktoum Global Initiatives through UNITLIFE, and by Irish Aid through Ireland’s Civil Society Partnership for a Better World.
The VSLA model brings community members together to save collectively and access small loans over annual cycles. Members contribute regularly to a shared fund, from which they can borrow small investments or household needs, with savings and repayments accumulating within the group over time.
Angoual Malam now has five active VSLA groups, four of which completed their first full savings cycle in March 2026. For many women in the village, the end of that cycle marked the transition from collective saving to direct investment decisions at household level.
A Decision Made Together
When the Nassara VSLA group completed its savings cycle, members received their accumulated shares. Among them were two women who chose to invest together.
Ladidi Yahaya, 32, a mother of three, and Rahiba Garba, 38, a mother of four, each received 60,000 FCFA (approx. USD 105). Instead of spending independently, they pooled half of their savings 30,000 FCFA each (approx. USD 53 each) to purchase a bag of peanuts and start a small business producing peanut oil and oilcake.
Rahiba used part of her remaining savings to buy a goat, creating a small household asset alongside the business.
Their decision was deliberate, “We are tired of being entirely financially dependent on our husbands. It was with this in mind that we discussed together what to do and how to gradually become self-sufficient so we could contribute to household expenses, ease the burden on our husbands, and ultimately contribute to the well-being of our families,” Rahiba said.
A Small Business With Real Returns
Within two months of starting, the activity generated a profit of 18,000 FCFA (approx. USD 32). Production takes place two to three times a week depending on demand, with products sold in Angoual Malam and at the Mirriah market on market days.
The activity has also created informal work for around ten other women in the village, who assist with oil extraction and receive a share of oil, oilcake, and cash each as compensation per day.
Widening the Circle
The visibility of Ladidi and Rahiba’s experience has influenced other women in the community. Existing VSLA members have become more active, while women not yet enrolled have expressed interest in joining.
As Ladidi noted: “Today, we are envied by other women in the village who are also ready to join the VSLA groups.”
What began as a practical use of savings has become a visible example of local enterprise in Angoual Malam and is gradually influencing how women’s economic participation is understood within the community.
