Yesterday, I went with Silivia and Emmanuel to a meeting for the piki piki drivers in the area. They have formed their own group, along with some other people from the community to try and bring more money to each individual.

Emmanuel carried two plastic green chairs on his head, placing them in an already crowded room. Some people sat on the floor, others sat on jerry cans and chairs. I sat next to the secretary, who held a book of lined paper. Boxes for each member had been drawn with a pen and ruler, and the collections of money they had received for each day sat next to their names. He went down the list, calling each name out and saying how much they owed, heckling some.

This group is now acting as a bank. A daily collection is taken from the forty members, and will be returned at the end of the month to them. They are trying to encourage people to save, so that a microfinance group can come in and set up loan schemes for them. Often, they hold merry go rounds – which are a collection of money from each member that is then given to a set few. Each person in the group gets their turn during a different week.

A new member wanted to join their group. Silivia explained they have something called a kuodo – where they gossip about the person, and decide if they are allowed to join. This certain member was asked to wait outside, while people in the group brought forth information they knew about him, if he was reliable or a heavy drinker. They then voted – raising their hands if they agreed to accept him – and he was allowed back into the room, and told he was a new member.

I sat in my green plastic chair in front of the small window, wind blowing against the back of my neck. One of the six women in the group sat next to me, holding a very tiny baby to her chest. I sat in amazement – at the tenacity of this group of people to change their situation. At the ability of a large group of people to sit down together, air their views and ideas and do something to change where they are at. At the power of social pressure and gossip to strengthen the paying of fees. I wondered what would happen if each of our communities back home would meet like this weekly, how much we could change.