A filled stomach and a filled spirit
Feeling hopeless due to the crises, this young father joined a VSL group and found home in his community.
“Before the crisis, life was good.”
Everyone who knows Emmanuel would tell you of his cheerful disposition and enthusiastic love for his neighbours. He’s the kind of person who shows up for others, eagerly attending weddings, naming ceremonies, church, and other social events; community is integral to his life. At 28, he is a father to two, and has found work with neighbours around the village. So when the 2020 pandemic, alongside conflicts happening in South Sudan, shut everything down some years ago, his life radically changed. All of his usual gatherings, the local markets, and even the nearby roads he would walk down to visit friends were closed.
For someone who relied on town jobs helping neighbours, this new situation brought fear and uncertainty. As prices skyrocketed, markets closed their doors, and schools shut down, it became harder to find an income than ever before. Having to watch his now unsupervised children each day, it was nearly impossible to make enough money to afford the food they needed. “I almost gave up with my life.”
Although the future seemed dark, Emmanuel’s name rang true—God was with him.
When food was scarce for Emmanuel and many others in his village, Tearfund’s partners came to the local church and provided emergency food provisions. But it didn’t stop there.
In the mission to equip people to lift themselves out of poverty, band-aid solutions like food assistance only go so far. In order to provide long-term, sustainable solutions, this local church also trained members in Village Savings and Loans (VSL) groups. These groups are self-managing community-based savings groups that empower members to save money and access loans for various costs. They also teach various skills, like keeping livestock, business skills, and farming skills. Even more than that, the weekly meetings provide a caring, reliable community.
Emmanuel was eager to join not only because of the opportunity to take out loans, but because of the community it fostered. The results of joining this group were more than he ever would have dreamed. After saving up the little money he could get, he was able to take out a loan to start a small business. “The VSLA has greatly helped me,” he explains eagerly. Now, a few years later, he tells us great news: “I have been able to save and construct a commercial house to trade from.”
He’s set up shop in a small house, and his business is booming. He can now see familiar faces and catch up with neighbours from the comfort of his own shop. He is still involved in the VSL group, and through this, saved up enough to buy 2 goats, which gave birth to 4 more! The church, seeing his potential with livestock rearing, offered him livestock training in order to better care for his new animals. This is what sustainable solutions to poverty look like—not just a one-time handout, but equipping others with the knowledge, training, and community they need to thrive.
Emmanuel’s grin is wider than ever. With six goats, a steady business, and a community around who cares for him, he is so excited to see where God leads him next. “I see a bigger outcome in the near future,” he dreams. His next big project is to build another home that he can share with others who need it.
Because of donors like you, people who struggle to see any future for themselves, like Emmanuel, are building back a life full of hope and community. Poverty is not God’s plan for His people. We invite you to join us in empowering others to live into their God-given potential!