The magic wand of piggy bank enhances savings in Rutunga

The idea of a piggy bank might not be an entirely new phenomenon, but when it comes with some sweeping magic wand in the savings culture of the citizenry, you would want to take a deeper breathe and focus.Inspired by the “Save for better future” Sacco, the Rutunga sector residents of Gasabo district have decided that savings should not be limited to tender; coins can do.Instead of the traditional horn (ihembe) which historically means the savings at home in a horn where money could most likely end up lost or decayed, the Sacco has introduced a small box with a small hole to drop in savings, and eventually take it to the bank.People pay Rwf500 to acquire the box and are asked to give their respective bank accounts. They take the boxes home, and any time they get a coin, they put it inside.At the end of the month, tellers go door-to-door in every village with deposit slips; they open a box and count the money, which they credit to respective member’s accounts.In total, 250 members have embraced the method and most of them confess they do not understand how they managed to raise amounts, something they say is beyond their imagination.“I took the box six months ago. The first time when I opened it, there was Rwf30,000, the second time there was Rwf20,000, and last time I opened, I found I had Rwf19,000,” said Francoise Mukayisenga, a farmer.How locals were enticedMukayisenga said she commissioned everyone in her household to feed the box with any coin they get as change from buying salt, foodstuff and other items bought for home use.She said to ensure sustained deposits into the piggy bank, the family had to forego some expenses like buying clothes so that they can save.“We decided to start this, knowing that people in rural settings don’t believe in saving. We wanted to let them know that an everyday savings scheme can accumulate into big money with time,” said Jean Marie Hubert Ayirwanda, the manager of Sacco Rutunga.“We encourage them to save the little they get from home, and collecting them for the bank is our responsibility, and deposits have drastically increased,” he added.From this money, members of Sacco Rutunga are getting more loans to start income-generating projects.Given that EWSA is putting pylon across the sector, Sacco is now helping clients and members to save for power which will be costing Rwf56,000.Big dreamsEvery member is required to have raised 30 per cent of the amount (Rwf16,800) so as to get a loan from Sacco with an interest rate of 2 per cent, reimbursable in two years.Another facility helps residents in the rural part of Gasabo acquiring soft loans to buy household materials like mattress, women garments, motorcycles, and most especially, construction of houses.Innocent Nkurunziza, a member of Sacco Rutunga, has benefited from the Sacco’s loan amounting to over Rwf 1,000,000 disbursed in three installments.He used part of this loan to build a commercial house and start a business selling different items in Rutunga centre.He said: “This money helped me improve my living conditions. My business is doing well and I am now planning to acquire a loan of Rwf3m to buy a fridge and start a bar. This place will soon become a town; I need to position myself strategically.”Sacco Rutunga has been in existence for two years and at least 4,000 of its members have already acquired profit share of Rwf233m.Their marketing method has earned them trust and have in the last two years won the best Sacco of Kigali prize by the Rwanda Cooperatives Agency.

National

The magic wand of piggy bank enhances savings in Rutunga