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Client Training Services

UOB views poverty as a multifaceted, interconnected, and dis-empowering system that is the result of the fall of the four foundational relationships that God established for each person (i.e. relationships with God, self, others, and creation).  When defined in this way, all people are fundamentally poor in the sense of not experiencing the fullness that God intended for each of these relationships.  For the economically poor, these broken relationships often include shame, a marred identity, and social isolation.  For the economically rich, these broken relationships manifest themselves into pride, selfishness, workaholic tendencies, materialism, etc., which result into a variety of individual and social ills.

To deal with poverty in a more holistic way, UOB has embarked on providing not only financial services, but also training and educational services through Holistic Life Improvement (HLI) modules.  The modules provided cover three broad areas: Business Management, Household Financial Management, and Health Management.  Below is an elaboration of the modules:

Business Management Modules

1. Plan For Better Business (6 lessons)
2. Manage Your Business’ Money (7 lessons)
3. Increase Your Sales (7 lessons)

Household Financial Management Modules

1. Using Wisdom In Saving (7 lessons)
2. Plan For Better Health (5 lessons)
3. Using Health Care Services (6 lessons)

Health Management Modules

1. Confronting Malaria In Our Community (7 lessons)
2. Preventing HIV/AIDS: It Is Our Choice (8 lessons)
3. Diarrhea: Its Management And Prevention (7 lessons)

During weekly meetings, many other important non-financial aspects of Community Banking life that promote transformation are addressed:

• Building self-esteem and confidence through leadership development
• Values enhancement through Scripture study, reflection, and discussion
• Increasing awareness in social and environmental concerns
• Networking and sharing business knowledge

Triple Bottom Line (Christ-centered, Client-focused)

Transformation, Outreach, and Sustainability

UOB aims to practice the triple bottom line in its management objectives and its impact on clients.  The goals of the triple bottom line are sustainability, outreach, and transformation.

As a Christian microfinance bank, UOB’s fundamental objective is to expand its outreach to the underprivileged of Rwanda, but it is important that this effort is achieved while maintaining the sustainability of its operations.

Triple Transformational Impact

As stated earlier, poverty is a combination of deficit, entangling (which includes isolation whereby poor households are snared in a “poverty trap”), and dysfunctional relationships.  In that sense, UOB provides products and services that are aimed at bringing about holistic transformation to the underprivileged.

Transformation affects the economic, social, and spiritual aspects of our clients’ lives.

1. Economic Transformation: This is the restoration of basic life quality, whereby the underprivileged have access to adequate provisions.
2. Social Transformation: This is the restoration of relationships with self, others, and the rest of creation.
3. Spiritual Transformation: Spiritual transformation is restoration of the broken relationships with God and others.