 | Income generation and money management: training women as entrepreneurs source ref: r0087e.htm |
 |  | Bookkeeping |
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Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping involves using a system for recording financial or business transactions in books of accounts, or ledgers. There are many different types of formats for ledgers and many different purposes for their use. In designing a format appropriate for a certain group of participants, it is probably wisest to first identify their needs.
A very simple bookkeeping ledger can be designed with the following components:
1. Column for date.
2. Columns to describe types of transactions.
3. Credit and debit columns.
3. Column for the balance.
There are two ways that the columns can be labeled:
1. With symbols or pictures.
2. With words from the local language that the women learn to recognize (this may work well with semi-literates or l those who are engaged in literacy training).
Examples of column headings for simple bookkeeping ledgers.
MANDINKA:
|
tilo |
meng keta/sang/waafi |
meng bota |
meng naata |
meng veto |
WOLOF:
|
bisbi |
li heo/jenda/jaii |
li gaina |
li nyo |
li des |
ENGLISH with symbols:
Teaching bookkeeping, like numeracy, requires REPETITION and PRACTICE .
Teaching bookkeeping successfully requires FOLLOW-UP.
1. Are the bookkeeping ledgers useful to the women or should they be redesigned?
2. What does the ledger represent in terms of long term money management? What information does it provide that will help women improve their financial positions? Some ledgers show starting and ending balances, such as a daily cash flow. Other ledgers can be designed to show profit made from each item sold, monthly or yearly profit, inventory, etc.. Some women will need to keep several different types of ledgers for their businesses.
NOTE: A very effective way to open a session on bookkeeping is to stage a skit that depicts the problems a woman in business may have if she does not write numbers down. This may encourage the participants to discuss their record keeping needs.
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