Introduction

Poverty is one of the factors preventing women from participating in their country’s social, economic and political life. It also damages continental development and consequently the physical and moral well-being of children. Benin is also affected by this scourge rampant throughout sub-Saharan Africa, with almost fatal consequences. Poverty and illiteracy have struck the majority of the population, thereby preventing large numbers of Beninese men and women from completely enjoying fundamental liberties guaranteed them by the constitution, as well as many other rights they are unaware of, such as free speech and association.

So, their capacity to free themselves from poverty seems to be the first challenge in reversing the situation. This is what the women of Azozin, a village of Agbada in the Ouémé river valley understood, when they started helping each other through community micro-finance. This experiment was a pleasant discovery for the Benin Women Greens’ Association, which was already struggling to introduce mutuals into all local branches to combat the poverty which was dangerously hindering the efforts of women who had chosen to actively commit themselves body and soul to Greens political and social programmes and association life in general.

From then on, the Benin Women Greens Association decided to lend its support to the success of this income and well-being-generating activity that its poorest local branch was involved in. From Auguste 1997 until today, how has community micro-credit in Azozin been going and what lessons can be learned?

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