Pokemon Emerald ROM saves then deletes after I turn it off.

Hi, I just recently downloaded a VBA and some ROMs, but none of them save for long. They will save for a bit, then they wont be there when I comeback to play. It's very frustrating.(sometimes they actually save once or twice but never more than that) Please someone that knows a solution or may take the time to help me, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time