Deputy Commissioner of NaCSA interacts with SAG Master Trainers in Bombali

The Deputy Commissioner of the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA) Charles Rogers has interacted with 30 carefully selected participants of an ongoing Master Trainers workshop on the establishment of Self–Help Affinity Groups in poor communities for community Base Facilitators (CBF) and Development Officers of Local Councils at the Bombali District Council Hall in Makeni.  (Photo: Deputy Commissioner of NaCSA Charles Rogers making a statement at the SAG training in Bombali )

A model the Deputy Commissioner of NaCSA described during the official opening ceremony as “one of the best approaches towards alleviating poverty in Sierra Leonean.” …and called on participants to take the training as their new careers.

He said NaCSA and IDB have big plans to make the SAG concept viable and sustainable in communities, it can facilitate communities to solve their own problems through a savings scheme and institutional partnership driven by the membership.

He also stated that the SAG concept has succeeded in other countries and hoped that participants will implement knowledge gained after the training for the effective and successful implementation.

Also speaking at the opening ceremony the Programme Manager of the Sierra Leone Community Driven Development (SLCDD) Samuel Bangura gave an overview of the status of the formation of Self –Help Affinity Groups with plans to establish 120 SAG’s for the pilot phase across the country.

Mr. Bangura stated that some Commercial Banks have also expressing interest to open bank accounts for established SAG for the savings scheme, which will be facilitated by Community Base Facilitators and District Coordinators of NaCSA.

Earlier the Director of Social Economic Opportunities James Harding while giving a background of the SAG concept and urged the participants to take the training seriously. He also gave an overview of the first training held in May 2012 and several other activities that have been carried out by the master trainers in their various communities.

James Harding stated that the Objectives of Self-Help Affinity Groups concept includes; organizing poor families and bringing them into institutions; creating saving habits among the group members to build their own capital; enhancing the level of awareness of members of the group on the concept of development and available programmes in Government Departments; encouraging members to learn literacy and numeracy.

The training consultants who also double as the Programme Officers in Mysore Resettlement and Development Agency (MYRADA) in India Rohan Mallick and Y Ramesh both have over twenty years of experience in the formation and implementation of SAG concept.

The training facilitators  said the training modules will focus mainly on conducting Training of Trainers for the selected Master Trainers who will be trained to acquire knowledge on the essential training topics in the class room session and they will also apply the training in the practical field.

The training consultants also said that module two of the training is to re-visit newly promoted SAG’s so as to analyze their performance and to give recommendation that strengthen the SAG concept in rural communities.

The training consultant stated that participants will also be oriented  on selected topics like defining structures of SAG’s, roles and responsibilities of SAG representatives, members and book writers and how to conduct an SAG meeting, Basics documents and records required in SAG and how to write minutes of meeting, meeting norms savings credit and financial management.

The consultants added that the training also provide an opportunity to the participants to develop training materials in their local language and conduct practical training to SAG’s on the selected training topics which helps to enhance their training skills knowledge and positive attitude.

The methodology of the training include power point presentation, brainstorming, group discussion and presentation, games, field base practical training using pictures and posters, video show and storytelling approaches.

Statements on the significance of the SAG concept were made by the Director of Finance Saidu Lawrence Sesay and Aminata Sheriff of NaCSA’s Bombali District office, while the NaCSA Regional Coordinator North Shenkun Fofana chaired the opening ceremony and implored the participants to take the training seriously for a successful implementation of the SAG concept in Sierra Leone.

NaCSA has received funding from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) to adopt a new approach towards poverty alleviation in poor rural communities with consultancy from a renowned Indian Based NGO, Mysore Resettlement and Development Agency (MYRADA) that has succeeded in transforming the livelihood of poor communities in many countries in Asia and Africa.

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