Is Sou-Sou a Good Idea?

Assalamu Alaikum girlie🌺

Before fintech apps, our aunties built a money system to support each other.

Esusu. Sou-sou. Tontines. Hagbad. Kameti.

Different names. Same brilliance.

The first time someone explained it to me I was confused.
A group puts money into a pot.
One woman gets the full amount each month.
Everyone takes a turn.
You keep going until everyone is paid out.

My knee-jerk reaction was:

I thought it was messy business.

Until I started talking to the women who actually do it.
Moms. Aunties. Cousins. Neighbors.
Women who show up month after month.
Women who’ve been part of these circles for years.

And that’s when the lightbulb went off.

This system wasn’t meant for drama.
It wasn’t designed for people who don’t take responsibility.
It was created to fill a gap the financial world still underserves.

Two things stood out to me.

Accountability and community.

1. Accountability

Saving on your own sounds great but it’s hard to do so consistently on your own.
You’re tired after work. There is a brunch invite. You want to buy abayas for Eid.
You tell yourself you will transfer that $300 into savings at the end of the month.
Except… somehow it is gone by the 29th.

Sou-sou changes that.
You are expected to send your contribution.
Other women are counting on you. Not out of pressure that crushes you but the kind that keeps you on track.
You stay consistent simply because you are not doing it alone.

2. Community

These circles are sisterhood in action.
Women checking on each other.
Celebrating goals.
Showing up when someone is struggling.
Holding space and supporting each other.

It is wealth building and wellness.
It is accountability and belonging.

And the outcomes are amazing!
I’ve heard stories of women saving $10,000+ this way.
Buying gold.
Funding weddings.
Starting small businesses.
Covering life emergencies without taking debt from institutions.
Reaching goals they would not have achieved solo.

That said…

Do I think sou-sou is the optimal savings system for every person? Not really.
Do I think it solves a need modern banks still don’t serve? Absolutely!

Because sou-sou rests on something most financial institutions can’t sell you.

Peer trust.
Shared responsibility.
Women supporting women.

This is what I want us to remember.
We come from communities where money was managed with trust, not fear.
Where discipline came from showing up for each other.
Where financial empowerment was a group project.

And while we now have apps, spreadsheets, online banks, and finance girlies like me…
There is still something powerful in sisterhood systems like this.

If saving alone feels hard, maybe you do not need more willpower.
Maybe you need a circle.
Maybe you need accountability that feels like love.
Maybe you need community breath in the same direction.

Wealth grows in so many ways.
Sou-sou is proof.

If you are part of a sou-sou or want to join one, reply to this email with your thoughts!

By your side
Fatimah