A workshop on micro-finance concluded [Archives:2004/701/Reportage]
By Fahmia al-Fotih
For the Yemen Times
Woman Economic Empowerment Association (WEEA) received the new year by concluding a 6-day workshop about saving and lending on Thursday 1 Jaunty 2004 that was held in cooperation with the Dutch embassy and sponsored by Mr. Abdualkareem al-Arahabi, the minister of social affairs and labor. The event was held at the WEEA headquarters.
Dr. Fathia Barahan, the head of WEEA, thanked all the participants and hoped that they would go and implement the things they were lectured in the workshop.
Ria Hussein, Sana'a coordinator, “The workshop was new and this is the first time I attended such a workshop. The workshop added more new information in the lending and saving filed, as we had not had a good background of these things. We know what we should do and we are going to implement system we have taken in the local communities.''
Abeer Hashim al-Absi, the project manager, “The importance of the workshop comes to build the base for the unit of saving and lending as WEEA mission is to enable women economically. In other words, WEEA is specialist economic association. The goal of our project is first to establish the unite of saving and lending and secondly to develop the abilities and skills of WEEA members and volunteers. The importance of this workshop is the work has started randomly and there is no special system and rules to organize the work. We have tried to select the participants with special criterion as all participants work in the same field. The coordinators in all governorates are responsible of lending and saving in local communities. Beside them we have groups leaders as well as volunteers who will train and rehabilitate and follow up the implementation of the system. The participants are trained in the workshop in all system forms starting with policies, bylaws, regulations and organizational structure. We have done the workshop and we will not stop here. However, we will follow the trainees and see how they will implement the system in the reality. We along with WEEA expert will visit the environment in which the system will be applied.
Abdualmajid al-Khuliji, a regional expert, who lectured the participants, commented “A large number of participants were serious and they really want to serve their community. The proposed system can be modified and changed updating any developments”
Asia Makwai, the head of saving and lending unit said, “Through our field visits we know the local communities do not have enough information in saving and lending. So we held this workshop to enrich the participants information. In addition the participants had a chance to display their problems to the expert who tried to help them. Moreover, the decision-makers and intellectuals will discuss and comment on the supposed system.”
——
[archive-e:701-v:13-y:2004-d:2004-01-08-p:report]
