Gender Inclusion

This three-part brief series explores how WhatsApp is being used across CARE programs to train VSLA members, collect real-time data, and build powerful communities of practice among grassroots trainers.

A practical CGAP guide to help digital lenders design safer, more transparent, and customer-centric credit products in low-income markets.

Insights from CARE’s digital pilot with 100 VSLA groups in Rwanda and Uganda reveal how social norms limit women’s digital access—and what it takes to design safer, more inclusive digitalization efforts.

This framework outlines how household dynamics, social norms, and structural inequalities shape women’s digital access—and offers a roadmap for gender-responsive digital inclusion.

This brief from Yale Inclusion Economics examines two policy levers in India—smartphone distribution and digital literacy training—and finds that while free phones offer a short-term boost, it's digital skills that create lasting impact for women’s connectivity, confidence, and well-being.

CRS’ SILC Pro-Poor Strategy promotes more inclusive savings groups by removing barriers that exclude the poorest. Through flexible policies, inclusive messaging, and equitable pricing, the approach helps ensure all community members—regardless of income—can benefit from group membership.

This brief from CRS explores how Sharia-compliant savings groups can expand financial inclusion in Muslim communities. By replacing interest with fixed fees, voluntary repayments, and group purchasing (Murabaha), these groups align with Islamic finance principles while still generating modest profit and fostering community trust. The model—successfully scaled in Niger—has seen strong acceptance from both members and religious leaders.