Beyond Beans Foundation Photo by Beyond Beans Thirty six-year-old Comfort Agoloso is a cocoa farmer from Akuapim, in the Mankranso cocoa district in Ghana, and a VSLA-CHILD group member. VSLAs are Village Savings and Loan Associations where group members get together to collectively save money, simultaneously providing each other with access to small loans. Comfort used her first loan from the group to pay school fees for her eight children. “I was able to buy them school uniforms and footwear, and when I repaid my initial loan I requested for another loan, which I used to start a petty trading business.” Now, proceeds from the petty trading go towards her weekly share purchases, and she plans to use the money from the share-out ceremony to further expand her business and take care of her family. “I encourage my colleagues to be serious with the group because it will help us to get a better future for our children.”