Helping low income mothers learn and earn with VFV’s Mothers Club
Background
The Mothers’ Club is a local community project involving local mothers from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, who meet every Thursday at the VFV Community Center. There, the group participate 
in projects that strengthen their ability to care for their families, earn an income and provide better futures for their children. Mothers’ Club members are introduced to various income-generating activities and skills enhancement sessions. They are usually trained as a group and are encouraged to practice what they learn at home, so they can supplement their family income. They “earn” their own savings, plus interest and income generated from some of the programs. At present the projects of the club is suppose to cater to 39 members but only few of them benefit from the projects because of very limited funding.
Ongoing Projects of the Mothers Club
The Savings and Loan Project: This project is a micro-financing project create to inculcate to the members the values of saving for their future needs. The project comes with a very simple mechanism: The members are encouraged to save twenty pesos (P20.00) every meeting.
In case of emergency, any member may borrow her own savings twice the amount she saved, which she can pay within the period of six months with 5% interest through the period.
The Entrepreneurial Assistance Project: This project was created to help members who intend to add capital to their already existing small business or members who intend to start their own business. With the group’s very limited resources, members who want to avail this project are scheduled. The assistance is only three thousand peso (P3,000.00) because that is only what their fund can afford to disburse as loan. The P3,000.00 is also paid within the period of six (6) months with 5% interest within the period.
Rice Selling and Loan Project: With the members very small family income, securing rice alone for their meals can be a challenge. Some members admit that they sometimes eat only twice a day. To most of the members, it is very expensive to buy rice by the kilo every day. In comparison, buying a sack of rice offers them more relief and more saving. Any member of the club may loan a sack of rice and pay it within the period of two months with 5% interest.
How the mothers learn and earn:
The members are introduced to various income-generating activities and personality enhancement sessions. The members are usually trained as a group and are encouraged to try what they learn so they could help augment their family income.
What they learn is their primary earning. Putting what they learn in practice is what will help them achieve a better life.
So where does all the interest go? From the Entrepreneurial Assistance and the Savings Loan Projects, 2% of the 5% interest goes back to the members in form of Patronage Refund which can only be withdrawn during December 23 of the year. The other 3% is put back to their fund to help sustain all their projects.
How you can help the mothers
At present the Mothers Club have very limited funds for their projects. You can help by donating any amount to their fund so it can benefit more members. We are also looking for donations of additional sewing machines, baking utensils and ovens.
Want to find out more about the Mothers Club? Contact Us