The Solidarity and Development Fund (Sofdev) are community microfinance organizations that provide community-based financial services to people excluded from mainstream financial services. Inades-Formation Burkina supports 06 Fonsdev, including that of Soukuy.
The Sofdev of Soukuy is an adventure that has been going on since 2004.
The Solidarity and Development Fund of Soukuy, located in the Boucle du Mouhoun region in Burkina, was established in 2004 and became operational in November 2005.
It has 12 villages and 537 members, including 120 women, 370 men and 47 associations totaling 1,551 members and bringing the total number of beneficiaries to 2,041.
It is governed by a general assembly and a 12-member management committee.
The Sofdev of Soukuy offers 3 types of savings: solidarity savings, term savings and sight savings. The types of credit offered are productive and social credits.
As far as activities are concerned, the Sofdev of Soukuy regularly organizes its General Assembly, holds its management committee meetings, collects the savings of members, grants loans and monitors their repayment, and pursues warrantage activities. The logbooks for the various funds and the record book are filled out correctly.
A major player in the economic and social recovery of households
The Sofdev of Soukuy plays an important role in the fight against poverty in its area. Indeed, the products it offers, namely the various types of savings and loans, adapted to the financial capacities of its members, allow them to secure their savings on the one hand, fostering discipline in the use of incomes. On the other hand, the credit available to households enables them to make investments, such as purchasing agricultural inputs, paying for the labor required for agricultural activities, initiating or strengthening stockfarming activities, fattening or small business activities. This contributes to increasing households’ incomes.
In addition, access to social credit enables households to respond effectively to urgent health needs, to pay for their children’s education or social ceremonies.
All the services available to households contribute to meeting their basic social needs in terms of health, nutrition and education for children.
In 2017, the Sofdev of Soukuy collected savings in the amount of CFAF 26,112,590 and granted loans to 77 members for a total amount of CFAF 5,668,760.
Inades-Formation Burkina and the support toward the professionalization of the Sofdev
In 2017, in its supporting role, Inades-Formation Burkina got involved in the drawing up of the annual financial statements, organizational diagnosis, organization, follow-up and advice and the holding of a reflection workshop on strategies for preventing, managing and controlling non-payments, followed by the development of an action plan.
For the coming years, Inades-Formation intends to place particular emphasis on monitoring the strategy for preventing, managing and controlling unpaid loans through the training of the Management Committee (COGES) members in the proper management of credit files and the follow-up of the action plan on the strategy to combat unpaid debts. The members of the COGES will be trained in computer science to facilitate their introduction to the use of the Sofdev management software developed by Inades-Formation.
Adama Soulama , Chargé de programme Financement endogène du monde rural