Care Group Sutainability: funding the future

It all began after Care Group ACC won an oven in the village celebrations for Indonesian Independence Day. The following week in their Care Group meeting they discussed what to do with the oven. The Care Group volunteers decided to use the oven to fund raise through the baking of coconut and rice cakes to sell to the community. The money collected was then used for social activities such as visiting vulnerable households and providing condolences to families. Through the cake selling they eventually collected Rp 750,000,(US$75) and started to use this as a revolving capital for sharing short term loans to Care Group members.

Care Group volunteers often have to walk long distances to reach their group meeting and so SurfAid had also agreed a policy to provide Rp 30,000 (US$3) to cover the costs of small snacks and water for each Care Group meeting. The ACC Care Group members negotiated with the SurfAid staff to put this small resource to better use. It was agreed that the Care Group would provide snacks from local resources, such as cooked banana or taro, and the SurfAid contribution would be used to increase their capital. 

One year later the capital stands at Rp 1,350,000 (US$135) and thirty members are now benefiting from a revolving loan system which is funded from this capital. The Care Group have agreed to charge 3% interest every 3 months. Every Care Group member has the right to borrow a loan and loans are prioritised for urgent needs such as for medical treatment or educational needs for their children.

The ACC-Care Group dream of forming a Care Group Cooperative and through their activities, they wish to continue meeting, learning and discussing health messages and to carry on promoting these health practices in their communities long after Surf Aid moves on.

Care Group ACC is in the remote village of Bitaya, Alasa in the interior of Nias Island. It is a two hour walk through mosquito infested swamps and forest to the nearest road. To dat,e across the Island of Nias, there are 13 Care Groups who have established similar revolving loans schemes. These are examples of some of the indirect benefits being achieved under this Community Based Health Program.