Sometimes it’s difficult to say NO
In dealing with our beneficiaries and especially women, we come across several difficult and challenging scenarios that make it very difficult to say N0 even in the eye of breaking laid down rules of operations. I would share two of such stories with you.
In the first year of our small loans module in Nansoni, on the day set for payback of loans, one beneficiary failed in coming with her monies in the meeting and when it got to her turn she called me and said she couldn’t pay because she had used the money to buy Anti-Snake Vaccine (ASV) for the son who had been beaten by snake and needed to take the vaccine urgently, it was so emotional and difficult for me to say NO to her in the circumstance given.
Project Beneficiaries, Chereponi
In another situation, a beneficiary sent the tractor to her field to plough and the drivers and agents were reluctant to get it ploughed because it was a new land and a lot of thumps (small trees) in the field, this obviously posed a big threat to the tractor and they refused for fear of break-down or getting a flat tyre in such fields. The woman approached me when a just arrived and said she lost the husband, and the junior brothers had taken all the lands from her, this very field was the only field available and if she didn’t get the services, surviving the year ahead would be very difficult. We eventually ploughed the field and got a flat tyre. Sorry, I couldn’t say NO when she approached me.
So Yes is sometimes good for social development. Saying NO is a prefect way for social self reliance adopted by several community agencies as a way to change the status qou. However, due to high level of poverty, in some cases these rules should relaxed. Inspiring article and hope one day, we truly have a self reliant society in rural communities.
Great to notice of the passion you have, that’s good of you to really go to the extreme, defy the odds and say No. May the good Lord bless you more to help more of the less privileged. Best regards.
In the two scenarios all these women did not refuse or default. They had a genuine reason for doing so and they were sincere and honest in what they said. For them it was even a social judgement against them – All women paying and one was not able to pay. I am sure she felt bad to be in the midst of her fellows who all paid and she could not. They need the support to come out those predicaments and circle of woes!! They when supported genuinely uses it and want to proof to the others that they can also make it.