Loving each other in Sierra LeoneInterview with a passionate womanSierra Leone. A lengthy civil war dominated the country between 1991 and 2002. At that time, a ruralwomen’s organisation was founded in the east of the country, in the region surrounding Blama. The organisation,which now has 1,400 members, was named ‘Muloma’, or ‘Loving each other’. Is it possible for somethingbeautiful to develop in times of war? Christine Wipfler had a conversation with Safula Moijeh, the organisation’ssecretary, about the life of rural women in Sierra Leone.meetings and other activities, and several other divisions are stillconstructing one. Passage is also assisting us in the constructionof toilets at different sites.Sierra Leone’s women’s movement played an importantpart in the peace process by insisting that there bedemocratisation and peace talks between both parties.What was Muloma’s role in all this?We were very much involved at a local level. The war wasthem, the men come back. I am a member of the commission’sexecutive committee in Blama. In our district, the initiative hasbeen very successful so far. Many men have already come back,and they can take courses in order to build a new future. Femalewarriors from both armies have also returned to the region.You have already referred to your partnershipwith Passage. What exactly is the importance of thiscooperation?Mrs Moijeh, you worked as a teacher for a very longsome men started to realise just how important women were.causing us numerous problems and so we closely watched itsWe have come to consider Passage’s rural women as ourtime. How did you get involved in the emancipation ofWomen have become more self-assured and are more oftenevolution. We encouraged our members not to be afraid andcolleagues, which was not something we had expected. Althoughrural women in Sierra Leone?heard at public meetings and debates. We will soon be havingto call upon the soldiers and the rebels to end the war and enterour situations differ significantly, we find remarkable similaritiesAt the end of the eighties, I was a senior teacher at the Juniorlocal elections, and three women are on the list - that is reallyinto peace talks. In Blama, we held three peach marches. Andin the objectives that we aim at. That is why we consider ourSecondary School in Blama. Because of my job, I had plenty ofsomething new around here.during our visit to the Netherlands in 1997, we contacted severalcooperation as extremely fortifying.contact with the students’ parents, i.e. usually their mothers.international organisations, such as the European Parliament, toThey were the ones who came to the school, e.g. when thereWhat were the first years of the organisation like?draw their attention to the war and to request for peace talks.But when you come back from your visit to thewere problems, when the tuition needed to be paid, or whenWe started bringing women together for agricultural trainings.Netherlands, what does that mean for rural women inmeals had to be provided for the children. I was struck by theOur main concern was food production, because that was whatWhat is the role of Muloma’s rural women in thethe villages in Blama, thousands of miles away fromwork load of rural women. They do most of the work on thewe needed most. Later on, our members worked the landcurrent reconciliation process?the rich Netherlands? How do they feel about thisland, they look after the children and they manage the house-together, and the harvest was distributed. One third was forRural women play a crucial part in the reconciliation process.cooperation?hold. Together with Marie McCallum, a businesswoman, andprivate use, one third for sales and one third was a contributionMany former soldiers and former rebels are afraid to return toWhen we come back, we visit all the local divisions to showLucinda Bockari, a social worker, I decided to do something forto Muloma. After that, we drew attention to other income-their villages because they fear that the villagers might takethem the photographs and tell them about our trip. Ourthese women.generating activities. In 1997, we were invited to the Netherlands,revenge for the atrocities that they committed during the war.members are very much impressed when they realise that ruralwhich led to many new contacts and enabled us to raise funds.Therefore, they stay together and hang around near the cities.women from the Netherlands and Sierra Leone are together, sitWhat does the life of these rural women actuallyWe were also introduced to Passage (Dutch Christian SocialThe women want them to return to the villages. At a districtat the same table and discuss important themes. That equallook like?Women’s Movement).level, there is a reconciliation commission that tracks down thesetreatment enhances the self-esteem of our members, whichWomen in the countryside of Sierra Leone often live a difficultmen (National Commission for Disarmament, Demobilisation andshould not be taken for granted.life. They are usually illiterate and work on their husband’s land.The organisation now has over 1,400 members, twelve localIntegration). The former soldiers confess their crimes and expressAs soon as the fields are ready to be sown or planted in, thedivisions and a general executive committee. Six divisions havetheir remorse to the villagers under the supervision of thisWhat is the best example of the changes that Mulomaremainder of the work is for the women. They do most of thealready built a storehouse for grain, which can also be used forcommission. If the villagers can find it in their hearts to forgivebrought about in the lives of your members?work, but they do not have a voice within the family, let aloneBefore Muloma was founded, the women were alone ‘on theoutside of it. On top of the work on the land, there is also theroad’. Thanks to Muloma, we are now travelling together -care for the household and the children.figuratively speaking, but sometimes also literally. The womenIt is usual for men in Sierra Leone to marry several women. Ifstarted to save money in mutual savings groups. One day, onethere is not enough food or money for tuition, then you are onof the members was desperate: her child was not allowed toyour own. Because of poverty, that often occurs - regrettablytake exams at secondary school, because she was unable to payenough. Three quarters of all households only have one mealher contribution. The women in one of the savings groupsper day.offered to lend her the money. The student was allowed to takeHowever, a change is taking place. During the war, many menthe exams, ended up going to university, and the loan was paidhad fled from the government army and the rebels’ army.back in full. That is the best example that I can give.Their wives had to keep things going as well as they could, and■20 21
FinBaseGood financial management ismore than bookkeepingIn the Netherlands, it is considered obvious that an organisation’sstrength is partly based on a solid financial policy. However, that is not thecase for many agricultural organisations in developing countries, which iswhy <strong>Agriterra</strong> developed the FinBase programme.They still exist: farmers’ organisations that are careless abouttheir financial administration. Due to a lack of know-how orinterest, they do not always see the point in having a financialvision. FinBase is, to put it briefly, a programme for the reinforcementof financial capabilities. The brainchild of <strong>Agriterra</strong>’sdirector Kees Blokland has been part of <strong>Agriterra</strong>’s projects sincethe start of the new millennium.Essential pointsOne of the essential points in <strong>Agriterra</strong>’s vision is that an agriculturalorganisation should mainly be self-sufficient. From aDutch point of view,that condition isirrevocably linked to asound financial policy.Some organisationsabroad are entirelyfinanced by internationaldevelopmentfunds. If that situation continues, there is no need for a structuralpolicy: as soon as the money runs out, a new request is made.But since <strong>Agriterra</strong> believes in a sustainable base, there is a needfor clear guidelines concerning financing and financial planning.It is equally important to map the flows of money. Memberssometimes do not have a clue as to what their contributionsare being used for. Furthermore, a lack of transparency makesthe organisation more obscure and increases the likelihood ofabuse of funds.Southern visionHow do organisations in the South feel about a soundfinancial policy? Luis Grijalva, of UNORCAC in Ecuador, believesthat members, donors and governments have the right toknow what his organisation is doing. He coordinates economicdevelopments and is the president of a savings and creditorganisation. <strong>Agriterra</strong> and farmers’ interest organisationUNORCAC have maintained a solid relationship since 1997.Grijalva believes that his organisation has become moretransparent. The past two years saw a giant leap forward,thanks to the recruitment of a new accountant and theintro-duction of a professional accounting programme.The incentive to develop a plan for the improvement of theaccounting department was a workshop about FinBase that<strong>Agriterra</strong> organised in Mexico in 2003. Luis Grijalva, wholooks relaxed but who is actually very active, was one of theparticipants.WorkshopsIn order to give farmers’ organisations the opportunity tobecome acquainted with FinBase, <strong>Agriterra</strong> organises workshops.Before they can participate, rural membership organisationsshould meet a number of criteria. After it has received an initialinvitation, the organisation should define its field of activity. Thisprimary selection is followed by an enquiry with questionsconcerning financial administration, procedures, internal andexternal accountability, and other financial matters. If the organisationmeets the criteria, an external accountant - in this casefrom the country that hosts the workshop - draws up an analysisthat will later be usedduring the workshop.Therefore, everyworkshop is different,depending on theneeds of the participatingorganisations.The thread of theFinBase workshop in 2004, for instance, was institutionalfunding, which requires that the organisations draw up anannual plan and budget in advance. Those are later followed byan annual report and an audited financial statement. The annualplan and budget include all the fixed costs and all the projectsfor the year to come. Many organisations draw up a budget perproject or per activity, which makes it difficult to calculate theoverall financial needs over the whole year.‘<strong>Agriterra</strong>’s vision isthat an agriculturalorganisation should mainlybe self-sufficient.’Workshop 2004 in PeruThe FinBase workshop 2004 took place in the Peruvian capitalLima, and it was hosted by the national organisation ConfederaciónNacional Agraria (CNA). The participating organisations,from eleven Central and South American countries, were >>2223
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