My name is Mihloti Phakula I am from Shiluvane village, I joined Keep the Dream 196 in 2021 June for SHGA program. Every journey begins with a direction and a step it was not easy because we knew nothing about the program, and I was unemployed. I am grateful to be working and be part of this program.
I was a challenged in the begging with the program, because it was still new but with the training that was given to us by the organization and the support we have received I was able to learn and master the SHGA program.
We started by understanding the program, next, facing the community and the Indunas, which are community leaders, they thought we were scammer’s wanting to scam them, explaining it to them properly our aim and mission they gave us a chance to run the SHGA program and that was the start of our program.
2 years later here we are, running the program with women who want financial freedom and to change their lives and communities and day by day we are working together for the good of community development. Now that others have heard and seen the change in other women’s lives, they just invite us to explain the program and how it works and when to start.
I am very happy to be part of Keep the Dream196 and the SHGA program, because we are changing, touching lives of so many families and reducing debts from the loan sharks many women are free spending and saving within their budget, they now have enough groceries and can now buy school uniform clothes, for their children and built better houses or restore their old ones.
Others have started small business, which one day at a time are growing, from the savings of the SHGA program.
Thank you, Keep the Dream196, for the opportunity to bring change and touching lives one day at a time, I am grateful because I have grown as well physically and mentally. Am now a better person, am now patient and understanding and every day we are learning something new from the groups of women’s and the topics we are discussing.