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Economic autonomy

ECONOMIC AUTONOMY: Transforming Vulnerability into Sovereign Capital

Despite their central role in the domestic economy, women in South Kivu face structural barriers that keep them in extreme poverty :

  • Economic marginalisation Access to traditional financial institutions is almost non-existent for Indigenous women due to a lack of collateral and persistent prejudice.
  • Lack of technical training: Limited access to education and early marriages (often between 13 and 15 years of age) deprive girls of the skills needed to access growth sectors.
  • Addiction and prejudice: Patriarchal society often limits Indigenous women to low-paid subsistence work, amplifying the idea that they cannot become major economic players.
  • Savings without growth: Traditional community models help to respond to emergencies, but often fail to transform savings into truly sustainable productive assets.

Our solution: The AVEI Model (Action-Value-Epargne-Investissement)

To break this cycle, IWHE-ONG has designed the model AVECI, a proactive financial inclusion approach that transforms beneficiaries from «aid seekers» into «rulers of their own capital».

1. Inclusion through Sovereign Capital

We don't just encourage savings; we kick-start them. Every member receives an initial loan of $100 USD to immediately launch or strengthen an Income-Generating Activity (IGA). This capital enables active participation in the economic cycle from the first month..

2. From Savings to Collective Shareholding

The AVECI model goes beyond traditional microcredit with two major innovations:

  • Mandatory Investment: At the end of each 12-month cycle, the profits generated by the interest are not consumed, but invested in a collective enterprise (agricultural processing, factory farming, etc.).
  • Dividends and Sustainability: Every woman becomes a shareholder in this company. 70 % of the profits are distributed to members as dividends, whilst 30 % are reinvested to ensure the growth of the collective enterprise.

A transformation journey

Phase 1: Mobilisation and Capitalisation

  • Group structuring: Formation of mutual aid groups of 15 to 25 members.
  • Intensive training course: Sessions on operational rules, financial management and collective entrepreneurship.
  • Initial allocation: Granting of a loan of $100 USD per member to immediately launch or strengthen an individual income-generating activity (IGA).
  • Democratic governance: Election of a management committee and drafting of internal regulations to guarantee transparency.

Phase 2: Savings and Credit Cycle

  • Savings meetings: Weekly meetings with share purchases to build up the joint credit fund.
  • Granting of micro-loans: Possibility of borrowing up to 3 times the value of one's savings to support economic activities.
  • Monitoring and Mentoring: Ongoing support from IWHE to guarantee the success of individual income-generating activities.

Phase 3: Cycle Closure and Collective Investment

  • Audit and Feedback Calculation of the profits generated by the interest and return of savings capital to members.
  • Strategic Investment: Use of 100 % of profits cycle to finance a profitable collective investment project (e.g. farming, agricultural processing).
  • Incubation Technique : Specialised training via the PEMA model to ensure the ecological and technical viability of the project.

Phase 4: Launch of the Collective Enterprise and Redistribution

  • Operationalisation Implementation of the collective production unit of which every woman is officially a shareholder.
  • Dividend distribution: Payment of 70 % of net profit to members, thereby increasing their sustainable purchasing power.
  • Reinvestment and Spin-off: Allocation of 18 % to fund the company’s growth and 12 % to sponsor and fund a new AVECI group.

Final impact

Through this sequential pathway, we transform vulnerability into sovereignty. The indigenous woman no longer merely survives; she becomes an asset owner and an agent of local economic change.