Highlights of the month, July 2015:
- 3,812 new members (2,747 female & 1,065 male) mobilized in to groups under “Reducing poverty and gender inequality by improving household income and financial resilience through enterprise and job creation” project in Sancharak, Gosfandi and Balkhab districts of Sarepul province and the “Sustainable Livelihood Program III” in Keshindeh and Shortepa districts of Balkh province.
- Formation of 142 new female microenterprises in Dare-e-Suf Bala and Payan districts of Samangan province and Aqcha district of Jawzjan province. As well as, 12 (10 female & 2 male) entrepreneurs those were already economically engaged in the market have expanded their enterprises. All these microenterprises have resulted in creation of 184 jobs (98 % female).
- Number of 330 group members (310 female and 20 male) successfully completed different vocational skills trainings such as embroidery, tailoring, livestock and spicy noodle frying (Semeyan cooking) in Aqcha district of Jawzjan province and Dare-e- Suf Bala and Payan districts of Samangan province. While 80 members (60 female and 20 male) are under training in cake baking and livestock in Dare-e-suf and Aqcha districts.
- 100 enterprise start-up toolkits were distributed to female eligible members in Aqcha District of Jawzjan province. The toolkits are small grant-based asset transfers, aimed at catalyzing enterprise growth. The toolkits provide a majority of inputs and tools required to grow businesses in a selected sector, conditional upon business plans, completed vocational skills training and complementary contributions from the individual members. Mentoring visits are continuing to the enterprises established/enhanced by HiH Af technical staff, trainers and VEFs, and during the month apiculture enterprises were linked to district town shops for purchase their needed wax for new colonies. Apiculture Enterprises made earning opportunity to the district town; one shop used the opportunity of raised demand for beekeeping items which initially provided beeswax and one carpentry shop produced for the first time bee boxes to sell to the beekeeping enterprises as well as the chicken meat producing farms at Dara-e-Suf Payan district and Dara-e-Suf Bala were linked to district town and butcheries.
- Under “Supporting rural entrepreneurship and promoting women’s socio-economic empowerment” project in Dara-e-Suf Bala and Payan districts of Samangan province 1,166 illiterate group members (1,003 female & 163 male) are receiving the Life Skills training.
- Sum of AFN 156,794 recollected as repayments of EIF loan from groups during the month which has increased the repayment rate to 87.1 %.
- Sum of AFN 1,877,900 saved within the groups by members in Dara-e-Suf Bala and Payan districts of Samangan province, Aqcha district of Jawzjan province, Shortepa and Keshindeh districts of Balkh province and Balkhb, Sancharak and Gosfandi district of Sarepul province.
- 255 internal loans took place among the group members with a total value of AFN 779,100 in Dara-e-Suf Bala and Payan districts of Samangan province, Aqcha district of Jawzjan province and Shortepa and Keshendeh districts of Balkh province. Internal loans aim to utilize group savings accumulated by members for creation and expansion of microenterprises.
- Cross fertilization visit held among the poultry farmers of Dara-e-Suf Payan district and Dara-e-Suf Bala district of Samangan province. The visit facilitated by HiH Af and the district governor of Dara-e-Suf Payan, head of DDA, representative of rural rehabilitation department of Samangan province, governmental offices and poultry farmers from both districts participated.The participants shared experience, lessons learned, best practices, fears and advices for the undecided or poor knowledge farmers to build their capacities and take active part in income generation activities. Mr. Fakhruddin Mubariz the district governor of Dara-e-Suf Payan during his speech appreciated HiH Af efforts, encouraged the community to adapt the project and announced his further support to the HiH Af and group members (farmers), at the end the participants visited the successful poultry farms.
- Capacity building training on Microfinance as second training package conducted for 20 participants (13 female & 7 male) including the District Officers, District Assistants and VEFs in Balkhab Districts of Sarepul Province, the trainees were also evaluated with pre-training and post-training test questionnaires which the result was positive. As well as 8 Shortapa district staff (4 female & 4 male) received one day training on application of Members’ Pre & Post Training Evaluation for Microfinance package. The participants were district officer, district assistant and VEFs . The aim behind conducting such training was to build the capacity of staff and utilize it in the field on group members to keep an accurate data of pass score in the post training test.
