Since the initiation of Umurenge Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisations (SACCO) in Eastern Province, people have started developing a culture of saving.This was disclosed, yesterday, by community leaders at a ceremony to launch a new SACCO in Kayonza District.According to the grass root leaders, SACCOs in villages have continued to grow with increased success.Richard Murangira, a local leader in Gahini Sector, said the issue of having dormant SACCOs was slowly dying down, adding that the government had done a good job to inject enough money to build their capacities.“The beginning was awful...we sometimes wondered whether people would at some point use the banks. But for sure, the ever increasing membership is encouraging,” he said.Nepomuscène Mpambara, 64, said SACCOs came at a time when they were greatly needed in rural communities. He said that he saves all the money he earns from his crops and uses it sparingly.“I used to keep up to Rwf 3 million in my house... it was not only a major security risk, but it also led to waste. I now put all my earnings in Sacco, get time to plan and invest accordingly. You know it gives me time to think wisely,” he said.Joseph Nyangezi, a manager of one of the SACCOs, reiterated the bank’s commitment to enhance savings culture and financial inclusion.He said SACCOs will guide economic and social development efforts up to the year 2020, adding that the saving culture would fit communities well in the threshold of a century characterised by competition.Nyangezi, however, warned bad debtors that they were doing a great disservice to the society.“It is immoral to borrow from the village banks and not pay back the money. We have a number of such cases. Our books show that recovery of money from the borrowers is poor,” he said.
