Paper
"Saving for Change" Impact Stories
How have savings groups helped the poor tackle social issues?
26 pages
This study looks at the life events, opportunities, program perceptions, food security and poverty levels of 41 members of savings groups formed through the organization Le Tonus in Mali. It was conducted by Freedom from Hunger to better understand the lives of Saving for Change members.
The study has used the impact stories methodology with partner organizations in several countries to understand impact of program participation on a participants life. Data gathered on weekly contributions, savings accumulation and distribution yielded some interesting outcomes. Findings include:
- Mature groups tend to contribute more per week, and almost all mature members received more money at each progressive distribution;
- Access to loans was considered the most important aspect of membership in a savings group, and loan sizes increased over time;
- New and mature members take loans at a similar frequency;
- Members use loans for a wide variety of expenses and have changed loan or savings terms to meet the groups’ needs;
- Concerns over health and food security were common across respondents;
- In general, most members seem to benefit financially and socially from group membership.
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