Centre Espérance Loyola (CEL)–Lomé, Togo | BRWGA 2026

What happens when a woman who has struggled for years with financial insecurity is given not only a small amount of capital, but also the knowledge, confidence and support to use it?

For 30 vulnerable women and young girls living in the peripheral communities of Agoè-Nyivé, Lomé, the answer is becoming visible through the Building Resilience among Women and Young Girls in Africa (BRWGA) project. Implemented by the Centre Espérance Loyola (CEL) with support from AJAN, the initiative is helping women turn small amounts of capital into income-generating activities while building a culture of savings, mutual support and financial resilience.

On 25 March 2026, CEL received funding that enabled the project to provide each of the 30 beneficiaries with funds to start a small business. But the project was designed to be more than a one-time financial contribution. The women were trained in the management of income-generating activities and introduced to the SILC savings and credit methodology, alongside psychosocial support and guidance aimed at strengthening their self-esteem and entrepreneurial motivation with the aim of helping women create businesses that can continue generating income long after the project ends.

Learning to Save Together

One of the most promising aspects of the project is the introduction of Savings and Internal Lending Communities (SILC) methodology.

Breaking Through Barriers

The women participating in the programme are working against a difficult economic reality. Women and girls play an important role in small-scale commerce in Togo, yet many continue to face barriers to education, professional training, land ownership, financial resources and decision-making.

Women living in poverty, single mothers, survivors of gender-based violence and girls who have dropped out of school are particularly vulnerable to economic insecurity. At the same time, rising living costs, changing food prices, limited access to credit and the dominance of the informal economy make it difficult for small businesses to grow.

The BRWGA project responds by combining capital with knowledge, savings, psychosocial support and continued accompaniment. This integrated approach is intended to help women not only earn an income, but also strengthen their resilience and inclusion in their communities.

The vision of BRWGA at CEL extends beyond the current 30 women and girls. The project seeks to create women who can become economically independent and eventually contribute to the development of others around them. The next phase will focus on strengthening professional and entrepreneurship training, improving financial education, developing networks of women entrepreneurs and young leaders, expanding access to savings and credit, and providing mentoring and coaching to emerging businesses. The project also aims to strengthen awareness around women’s rights, leadership, gender equality and prevention of gender-based violence.

A Seed of Resilience

The impact of the BRWGA project was also witnessed first-hand during a visit to the Centre Espérance Loyola (CEL) by Ms. Pascalia Sergon, Acting Director of AJAN.

During her visit, Ms. Sergon interacted directly with the women and young girls participating in the project. The encounter provided an opportunity to listen to the beneficiaries, understand their experiences and see how the support provided through BRWGA is translating into practical efforts to improve their livelihoods.

For AJAN, such field visits are an important part of remaining connected to the realities of the women and girls the network seeks to accompany. The visit to CEL offered an opportunity not only to observe progress, but also to hear directly from beneficiaries about their challenges, aspirations and hopes for the future.

At first glance, the BRWGA intervention in Agoè-Nyivé may appear modest: 30 women, in small businesses with monthly savings. But behind these numbers are families trying to build more secure futures. A small business can help a mother pay school expenses. It can help a family respond to illness. It can provide food when other income is unavailable. And, importantly, it can give a woman the confidence that she has something of her own to build.

That is the deeper meaning of economic empowerment. The women of CEL are not simply receiving assistance. They are learning to manage resources, save, invest, support one another and make decisions about their futures.

The journey is still underway. But in the communities around Agoè-Nyivé, small businesses are opening doors to bigger possibilities—and women and girls are beginning to discover that resilience can be built, one decision, one saving and one business at a time.

By, Madame Ornela Emefa Pakou,

Project Officer, CENTRES SOCIAUX LOYOLA-Togo