CRIPS-TOGO, with the aim of improving the socio-economic conditions of its beneficiaries, is organising meetings (Monday for the Noépé branch and Friday in Lomé) in its two centres relating to Revenue Generating Activities (AGR) with the support financial and technical ngo Entrepreneur Du Monde (EDM).
historical
Following a need of patients after recovery of their health, their healing to do a few things and to provide for them, CRIPS-Togo through its director had taken the initiative had the decision to grant loans to some women. These loans that CRIPS-TOGO gave to women came from its own funds and the goal was also to see how this could impact the health of these patients. ?
Initiated in 2007, the conditions of access were simple, just a request to the psychosocial service which in turn carried out social surveys near the applicants in order to touch the reality before accepting the request. Recipients could borrow 30 to 70,000 thousand with 0% as repayment rate.
Two years later, seeing on the one hand that the activity was a success, and on the other hand that some people were having trouble repaying their CRIPS-Togo loans made an application to the donors to support them. And it was the Marc Foundation under the aegis of the Fondation de France that gave them the help to support the AGR with more rigour in the training of beneficiaries and also supervision. Also. A social worker oversaw her activities and ensured the rigour of reimbursements. After a few years and due to deficiencies in fund management and late payments, the committee decided to suspend and leave these RMAs to a more experienced financial institution called EDM.
Thus Entrepreneur Du Monde (EDM) has taken the queens of aGR activities since 2011. It took over all the social surveys of the beneficiaries and expanded the list with non-PHAs. With EDM as the conditions of membership it is necessary to issue the need, follow 3 months of training without interrupting even a session, be punctual and the reimbursement rate was 2%.
Beneficiaries
To today 87 people are the total number of beneficiaries for both sites. Of this total of the beneficiaries, 34 are in Noah and the other 53 are in Lomé. Loans range from 30,000 to 200,000 CFA francs for Avé beneficiaries and from 100,000 to 1,000,000 CFA francs for those in Lomé in order to develop their activities.
Benefits
The initiation of the AGR project is a beneficial program for many patients. If women have a direct financial benefit, the secondary benefits are of great importance because they improve their health. And all these are visible on the fact that CD4s increase, good nutritional status, good diet, are less sick, better adherence to antiretroviral treatment. In addition, they have a high self-esteem rate. are good.
We must add the fact that all these advantages allow them to make a place for themselves and to minimize the stigma around them.
The needs are always enormous and increase on a day-to-day basis, but accessibility conditions mean that some do not get the money.
In short, this initiative, which contributes enormously to the improvement of the socio-economic living conditions of patients, is still relevant today.