What We’re Working On
Savings Groups Technology Toolkit (September 2018)
The Savings Groups Technology Toolkit is a digital catalog of the leading and emerging technologies in the sector. These tools include management information systems, mobile applications, information and communications technology, and other audio-visual tools – and facilitate a wide range of activities such as group mobilization and training, digital recordkeeping, electronic transactions, monitoring and results measurement, and access to financial and non-financial services.
Savings Evidence Map (September 2018)
The
Savings Evidence Map Synthesis Report, published by
Itad earlier this year, summarizes the existing evidence related to savings-based financial inclusion initiatives. In collaboration with SEEP, Itad is currently developing a digital version of the evidence map – enabling stakeholders to more effectively navigate the body of evidence and access resources – which will be maintained on the
Mango Tree.
State of Practice: Savings Groups and the Dynamics of Inclusion (October 2018)
The State of Practice report provides a comprehensive overview of the participation of vulnerable populations in Savings Groups, barriers and enablers of inclusion, and approaches and tools to increase and measure the outreach of SGs to vulnerable populations. The report will be released at the SEEP Member Lunch on
October 1, at the
SEEP Annual Conference.
A Risk Assessment of Savings Groups (October 2018)
The risk assessment identifies and assesses the negative outcomes associated with participation in Savings Groups. This evidence-based assessment – based on a survey of nearly
1,600 Savings Groups and key informants in Burkina Faso, Madagascar, Rwanda and Tanzania – aims to inform the development of targeted consumer protection initiatives for Savings Groups. Join the research team – SEEP, the Aga Khan Foundation, Catholic Relief Services and World Relief – at the SLWG annual meeting on October 1 for a discussion of the findings and their implications for Facilitating Agencies.
State of Practice: Savings Groups and the Role of Government (November 2018)
The report catalogs and describes the interventions of national governments in Sub-Saharan Africa related to Savings Groups. Through a desk review, key informant interviews, a call for contributions and various sessions at
SG2018, SEEP has identified
64 government initiatives related to Savings Groups, across 17 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. These initiatives are wide ranging and relate to national economic and gender strategies, quality standards, stakeholder coordination, social protection programs and regulation/registration. Join the authors - CARE International and Itad - for a discussion of the findings at the SLWG annual meeting on October 1.
Evidence and Learning Grant: The Long-Term Outcomes of Savings Groups
(April 2019)
SEEP is delighted to announce that the evidence and learning grant on the long-term outcomes of Savings Groups has been awarded to
Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA). IPA will examine the post-project financial performance, institutional performance, evolution and institutional relationships of Savings Groups in targeted areas of Ghana, Malawi and Tanzania.