Village Savings and Loans Associations — sustainable and cost-effective rural finance
MFIs and banks find it difficult to cover the costs of providing rural financial services – especially in Africa. In its large-scale Village Savings and Loans Associations (VS&LA) programmes in Africa, CARE is tackling these difficulties by encouraging the formation of villageloan funds entirely composed of members' savings, keeping the time-bound savings and lending methodology very simple and limiting external involvement to a one-year training and follow-up period. This article describes how the methodology works in principle and practice and describes evaluation
results from the CARE VS&L programme in Zimbabwe, where very high rates of inflation pose a challenge to any microfinance programmes. Finally the need for management information systems and better record keeping are identified as issues that need further development.
loan funds entirely composed of members' savings, keeping the time-bound savings and lending methodology very simple and limiting external involvement to a one-year training and follow-up period. This article describes how the methodology works in principle and practice and describes evaluation
results from the CARE VS&L programme in Zimbabwe, where very high rates of inflation pose a challenge to any microfinance programmes. Finally the need for management information systems and better record keeping are identified as issues that need further development.
No Longer Trapped? Promoting Entrepreneurship Through Cash Transfers to Ultra‐Poor Women in Northern Kenya
Gobin, Vilas J.
Santos, Paulo
Toth, Russell
American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 99 (2017), Iss. 5 P.1362
https://doi.org/10.1093/ajae/aax037 [Citations: 17]Interest Rates in Savings Groups: Thrift or Threat?
le Polain, Maïté
Sterck, Olivier
Nyssens, Marthe
World Development, Vol. 101 (2018), Iss. P.162
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2017.09.001 [Citations: 20]Performance of micro and small enterprises in Malawi: do village savings and loans associations matter?
Kaumba, Alick Archangel
Wiafe, Emmanuel Agyapong
Chawinga, Symon
Small Enterprise Research, Vol. 30 (2023), Iss. 1 P.107
https://doi.org/10.1080/13215906.2021.1989623 [Citations: 2]Financial Access and Exclusion in Kenya and Uganda
Johnson, Susan
Nino-Zarazua, Max
Journal of Development Studies, Vol. 47 (2011), Iss. 3 P.475
https://doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2010.492857 [Citations: 59]The Cost of Ownership in Microfinance Organizations
Mersland, Roy
World Development, Vol. 37 (2009), Iss. 2 P.469
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2008.03.006 [Citations: 108]You Cannot Save Alone - Financial and Social Mobilization in Savings and Credit Groups
Mersland, Roy
Eggen, Øyvind
(2007)
https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1032247 [Citations: 5]Paying back comes first: why repayment means more than business in rural Senegal
Duffy-Tumasz, Amelia
Gender & Development, Vol. 17 (2009), Iss. 2 P.243
https://doi.org/10.1080/13552070903009668 [Citations: 11]Autonomy and Financial Performance in Informal Savings Associations
van Hemert, Daniël
D’Espallier, Bert
Mersland, Roy
The Journal of Development Studies, Vol. 60 (2024), Iss. 9 P.1352
https://doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2024.2337386 [Citations: 0]Pangolins
Holistic approaches to protecting a pangolin stronghold in Central Africa
Fowler, Andrew
2020
https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-815507-3.00027-7 [Citations: 0]Learning, Philosophy, and African Citizenship
Learning Economic Citizenship Among Rural Women: Village Saving Groups in Western Uganda
Ahimbisibwe, Karembe F.
Ndidde, Alice N.
2022
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-94882-5_9 [Citations: 0]Impact of climate change training intervention in savings groups
Nabami, Armande Mahabi
Petre, Anaëlle
Mersland, Roy
Journal of International Development, Vol. 36 (2024), Iss. 4 P.2047
https://doi.org/10.1002/jid.3896 [Citations: 0]Integrated community-based HIV and non-communicable disease care within microfinance groups in Kenya: study protocol for the Harambee cluster randomised trial
Genberg, Becky L.
Wachira, Juddy
Steingrimsson, Jon A
Pastakia, Sonak
Tran, Dan N Tina
Said, Jamil AbdulKadir
Braitstein, Paula
Hogan, Joseph W.
Vedanthan, Rajesh
Goodrich, Suzanne
Kafu, Catherine
Wilson-Barthes, Marta
Galárraga, Omar
BMJ Open, Vol. 11 (2021), Iss. 5 P.e042662
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-042662 [Citations: 8]Innovations in savings and credit groups: evidence from Kenya
Roy Mersland, Roy Mersland
Food Chain, Vol. 18 (2007), Iss. 1 P.50
https://doi.org/10.3362/0957-1329.2007.007 [Citations: 1]Faith-Based Organizations and Microfinance: A Literature Review
Hoda, Najmul
Gupta, Shankar Lal
(2014)
https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2519278 [Citations: 1]Dettes et liens : deux moteurs de l’épargne populaire au Sud Kivu (R.D. Congo)
Le Polain, Maïté
Mondes en développement, Vol. n° 181 (2018), Iss. 1 P.41
https://doi.org/10.3917/med.181.0041 [Citations: 2]Scripting development through formalization: accounting for the diffusion of village savings and loans associations in Tanzania
Green, Maia
Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, Vol. 25 (2019), Iss. 1 P.103
https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9655.12966 [Citations: 10]Performance of women owned enterprises accessing credit from village credit and savings associations in Kenya
Gichuki, Castro N
Mulu-Mutuku, Milcah
Kinuthia, Lydia N
Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, Vol. 4 (2014), Iss. 1
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40497-014-0016-1 [Citations: 18]Deviation of community savings groups from their apparent methodology
Maliti, Emmanuel
International Journal of Social Economics, Vol. 44 (2017), Iss. 3 P.326
https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSE-05-2015-0112 [Citations: 12]Influence of participation in “table banking” on the size of women-owned micro and small enterprises in Kenya
Gichuki, Castro Ngumbu
Mutuku, Milcah Mulu
Kinuthia, Lydia Nkatha
Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, Vol. 9 (2015), Iss. 4 P.315
https://doi.org/10.1108/JEC-11-2013-0036 [Citations: 8]The role of social networks in savings groups: insights from village savings and loan associations in Luwero, Uganda
Musinguzi, Laban Kashaija
Community Development Journal, Vol. 51 (2016), Iss. 4 P.499
https://doi.org/10.1093/cdj/bsv050 [Citations: 15]Village Savings and Loan Associations: experience from Zanzibar
Ezra Anyango, Ezra Anyango
Ezekiel Esipisu, Ezekiel Esipisu
Lydia Opoku, Lydia Opoku
Susan Johnson, Susan Johnson
Markku Malkamäki, Markku Malkamäki
Chris Musoke, Chris Musoke
Enterprise Development & Microfinance, Vol. 18 (2007), Iss. 1 P.11
https://doi.org/10.3362/0957-1329.2007.004 [Citations: 18]The impact of international influence on microbanks’ performance: A global survey
Mersland, Roy
Randøy, Trond
Strøm, Reidar Øystein
International Business Review, Vol. 20 (2011), Iss. 2 P.163
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2010.07.006 [Citations: 100]Instituting village savings and loan associations scheme through action research in Zimbabwe
Chivasa, Norman
International Journal of Action Research, Vol. 16 (2021), Iss. 3-2020 P.184
https://doi.org/10.3224/ijar.v16i3.02 [Citations: 0]Learning, Philosophy, and African Citizenship
Communities and Habits of Citizenship: Everyday Participation in Kondoa, Tanzania
Nguyahambi, Ajali M.
Kontinen, Tiina
2022
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-94882-5_7 [Citations: 0]Post-Independence Development in Africa
Dam Projects, Modernity, and Forced Displacement: An Analysis of the Role of Local Institutions in Surviving Marginalization Among the Tokwe Mukosi Displacees in Zimbabwe
Nhodo, Lloyd
Ojong, Vivian Besem
2023
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-30541-2_14 [Citations: 0]Problems problems
Malcolm Harper, Malcolm Harper
Enterprise Development & Microfinance, Vol. 17 (2006), Iss. 4 P.10
https://doi.org/10.3362/0957-1329.2006.039 [Citations: 0]Bifurcations in business profitability: An agent-based simulation of homophily in self-financing groups
Gonzales Martinez, Rolando
D’Espallier, Bert
Mersland, Roy
Journal of Business Research, Vol. 129 (2021), Iss. P.495
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.06.051 [Citations: 6]NGOs and sustainable rural development: experience from Upper West Region of Ghana
Forkuor, David
Korah, Andrews
Environment, Development and Sustainability, Vol. 25 (2023), Iss. 1 P.351
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-02057-w [Citations: 9]- Value chain financing: evidence from Zambia on smallholder access to finance for mechanization
- Developing agro-pastoral entrepreneurship: bundling blended finance and technology
- Building frontline market facilitators' capacity: the case of the ‘Integrating Very Poor Producers into Value Chains Field Guide’
- Boosting financial inclusion through social assistance reform: evidence-based approach in selecting a payment system
- Impact of COVID-19 on livestock exports from Somalia and the Horn of Africa
Browse our other journals
