GT VSLA Learning Brief ECA 2022 final Page 1
article
Financial Inclusion Financial Literacy Gender Mobile Money Social Inclusion

Gender Equality through Savings Groups:
Gender Integration and Gender Transformative
Approaches in VSLA Programming

Published by
2023
CARE
View Resource

CARE has operated savings and lending programs through Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLAs) since 1991. This learning brief outlines CARE’s strategies to advance gender equality in these programs. The brief details experience from four VSLA projects in Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, and Ethiopia which added gender transformative approaches to the traditional savings group model. Among them is the Digital Sub-Wallets project aimed to promote gender equality in western Uganda through two interventions: mobile banking and household financial counseling.

Leave a Reply

View all comments

Related Resources

Read
Research
Financial Inclusion
dsg default resource
Research
Financial Inclusion

Impact of the Child-Optimized Financial Education (COFE) Curriculum among Savings Group Participants in Uganda: A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial

By Eunsoo Timothy Kim, Yunji Zhou, Levicatus Mugenyi, Margaret Lillie, John Kato Bbosa, Collins Agaba, Andrew Mijumbi Ojok, John Hembling, Godfrey Kalemera Ruhangawebare, Carrie Miller, Thomas K. Shaw, Benjamin S. Allen, Joseph R. Egger, John A. Gallis, Joy Noel Baumgartner
Journal of Development Effectiveness
2025

Impact of the Child-Optimized Financial Education (COFE) Curriculum among Savings Group Participants in Uganda: A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial

A randomized controlled trial in Uganda evaluated the Child-Optimized Financial Education (COFE) curriculum delivered through Savings and Internal Lending Communities (SILC). Results show that COFE significantly increased caregivers’ ability to pay for children’s school expenses compared to SILC-only groups. However, COFE did not significantly affect health-related spending or financial self-efficacy. Findings suggest that child-focused financial education can improve educational outcomes for vulnerable households.
Read
Research
Digital Inclusion Digital Transformation Digitization Planning Evidence & Impact
DSG Study Brief Rethinking Key Roles Page 1
Research
Digital Inclusion Digital Transformation Digitization Planning Evidence & Impact

Digital Savings Groups: Rethinking Key Roles

Project Concern International, a Global Communities Partner
2020

Digital Savings Groups: Rethinking Key Roles

This document is one of three research briefs that highlight key insights from a study of digital savings groups (DSGs) conducted in rural Tanzania from August 2019 through February 2020. The research was conducted by the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) working with savings groups supported by PCI and their Women Empowered (WE) […]