Collection: The aunties of the "tontine"

This photo essay highlights the courageous women of the CECI tontine cooperative.

They are thirty tontine members based in Kpalimé, a town of 75’000 inhabitants south-west of Togo, two and a half hours drive from the capital Lomé.

In Togo, as in many West African countries, the name “tata” or “auntie” is an affectionate way of addressing a woman. A tata does not necessarily refer to a father’s or mother’s  sister, but to any adult woman, without necessarily being related.

Addressing financial insecurity amongst women is a feminist issue.

One of the measures aimed at empowering women financially is the “tontine” mutual fund. The tontine is highly developed in African countries. It is a collective savings method that enables women on very low incomes to save and finance their personal and professional projects.