I came across this quote recently: “Goals are harmful unless they guide you to
make specific behaviours easier to do. Don’t focus your motivation on doing
Behaviour X. Instead, focus on making Behaviour X easier to do.”
Many of us have the goal of saving money to
acquire land or other property, but are daunted by the large amounts that one
would have to accumulate to reach his/her goal. Others would like to support
their friends or family members get to the gaol of owning some property but are
similarly daunted.
Now a Savings & Investment club
has recently (June 2014) been created to support the realization of these
goals. The club meets monthly (at venues decided at preceding meetings), and
has a monthly contribution of Kshs. 8,000 (Kshs. 2000/week). New members will however have to
top-up for July and August contributions. These savings are banked with Rafiki
Micro-finance bank, with the prospect of getting loan financing X 9 of the saved
amounts to realize the club’s goal.
The current goal is to purchase a large
track of land that can then either be subdivided to or sold at concessionary
rates to members and market rates to non-members – once this is realized
members will vote for a new project.
The club members have discovered that
instead of “focusing on building a savings culture, it is preferable to make
savings easier to do.” /And have therefore made their monthly meetings an opportunity to catch up
with each other, and they also invite life-coaches for a 30mins – 1 hr. presentation on issues important to the members.
In addition to making monthly
contributions, members must also ascribe to the membership terms
and conditions – which largely reflect the general rights and obligations of
any regular Savings and Investment Club.
This club however has made a deliberate effort to ascribe to global
standards on equality and non-discrimination. People who support homophobia or
transphobia may find the respectful attitudes towards all Kenyans prevalent in the
club rather challenging.
