Ten years have passed since this Congolese man sitting alongside me in a church in the Nyaragusu refugee camp settled his life here. However, this was far from the time he has spent in refugee communities. Almost nineteen years ago, the outbreak of the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo forced Joseph and his family to flee to Tanzania, a country that is 1476 kilometers away from home. Back then, he was only eleven years old, when he was supposed to continue studying in primary school and live a childhood without fear.

When visiting a group of refugees in the Nduta camp, I tend to experience some mixed feeling of embarrassment, curiosity and hesitation at the beginning. A thin soap-bubble barrier through which someone has to poke a finger. With a timid smile, I say: "MWAKEYE!"  (Good morning in Kirundi) and I look around, trying to read in my interlocutors' eyes if I have said it right. "MWAKEYE!", they respond, laughing and looking at each other with complicity. I feel that now we are together. ​

​One year and a half ago, Stephanie didn't know Lea, and neither of them knew Simeon, nor Enrique, nor Celine. They were living their lives day-by-day, with their own loopholes and coping mechanisms, until they were brought together during a UNCDF-organized training with GNTZ (our field-based partner) on savings groups in a UNHCR multipurpose training centre. This center was established as part of the Kigoma Joint Programme's Youth and Women Economic Empowerment (YWEE) initiative. They were taught about life skills, entrepreneurship, budgeting, savings and record-keeping. This is where, Stephanie tells us, she and the other 19 refugees met and started their own savings group and decided to try to become entrepreneurs together. 

Now my family listens to me,” said Ekyoci, a 34year-old Congolese woman. “Every time when I have suggestions, like when to rebuild the house and how to spend our money, my husband listens to me. It was not the same in the past.” But Ekyoci has benefited recently from membership in a savings group promoted by UNCDF partner Good Neighbors Tanzania (GNTZ) and since she began, things have changed for the better for her and her household.

UNCDF Tanzania's own Paul Damocha (correct spelling) and Adriano Tidah were featured on radio and television stations country-wide on World Savings Day, 2018. Paul Damocha spoke on the important of savings to Star TV viewers, while Adriano was interviewed by five different radio stations. UNCDF's Kuweka Akiba ni Upendo video series was featured nationwide as well.

Highlighting UNCDF's work to promote savings, strengthen financial inclusion mechanisms for refugees and smallholder farmers, and build financial and digital literacy, Paul and Adriano brought forth the message that savings is key to reaching goals and dreams - for ALL Tanzanians.

World Savings Day is a yearly event sponsored by WSBI to increase the public's awareness of the importance of savings both for modern economies and for individuals alike.  

Follow the link below to watch the video or listen to the radio interview.