Empowering women through financial inclusion, training, and leadership
We are passionate about gender equality and enabling women to fulfil their potential. Women are amongst the most vulnerable people in rural communities, like Togo, and face high levels of poverty.
Women do not experience the same educational or economic opportunities as men, with nearly half of women aged 15-24 unable to read or write having had to sacrifice their education to support their families.
With little access to family planning advice or contraception, and nearly a quarter of women being married under the age of 19, they are subject to family responsibilities and unpaid work from a young age.
Women are financially excluded, with only one in five women in rural Togo having access to a bank account, without which they are unable to access capital to work their way out of poverty and so the cycle continues.
We empower women to become self-sufficient through gender equality training, financial inclusion, business training, family planning support and leadership opportunities.
Our Women’s Empowerment Collectives are solidarity groups where women can come together to learn about their rights, become leaders and build their own businesses.
These regular meetings help them develop skills, build their confidence and decision-making abilities and give these women the opportunity to create a business that will support them and their families to be financially independent.
We also offer microloans to invest in their businesses and give them a platform for change.
With their own sources of income, women are empowered to shape their own futures and work their way out of poverty.
Deki’s women empowerment collective project works to 5 SDGs
“Deki loans are the starting point for us women. We are thankful from the deepest part of our hearts” - Adjo, Novignon Collective
Impact Story
The Femmes Riches Collective received their first microloan after 12 weeks of training, which gave them increased knowledge and confidence.
One of the training sessions the women have found the most useful is on the pitfalls of selling on credit. The lesson is taught using laminated picture cards which tell the story of a woman who sold on credit to a customer who then couldn’t pay, leaving the seller with no income.
Many of the women cannot read or write so using picture cards makes the training sessions accessible to all.
Adjo, a member of the Femmes Riches Collective, tells us how her life has changed since she joined Femmes Riche. She is a mother of two teenagers and it has been just the three of them since the children were very small.
Trying to find enough money to pay for food for her family every day had been a constant struggle.
She has a small hair braiding and wig business but to help her make ends meet she finds work washing laundry for other families.
Until now Adjo didn’t have the funds to build up her business or buy new stock. She had no friends or family whom she could ask for help, she was trapped by her situation, unable to move forward.
In just a short time, Adjo’s life has improved. She has restocked her supplies and has enough money to buy food for her children every day and has started to make some savings.
The most important thing to her is that she has become part of a close-knit group of women whom she can rely on for support when she needs it and doesn’t feel alone anymore.
We believe that given the opportunity, communities can thrive
By supporting Deki, you are investing in lasting positive impact and empowering communities to become agents of change for the next generation.
We are grateful for every donation we receive and we promise that it will be used where it is needed the most.