WITH

A Village Savings and Credit Association (VSCA) is a group of 15 to 25 people who save money together and make small loans to each other from these savings.

Savings group activities operate in "cycles" lasting about a year (9-12 months), at the end of which the accumulated savings and loan profits are distributed to members in proportion to the amount saved.

The goals are as follows:

• Provide an opportunity to save;
  
• Provide a sustainable source of credit (financing);
  
• A management learning framework;
  
• Provide a community living environment (social);
  
• Provide a development framework for and by local actors;
  
• Create an appropriate framework for resilience.

Helping beneficiaries develop financial discipline and gain familiarity with Micro-Finance Institutions (MFIs): This helps the poor reduce the likelihood of having to sell assets prematurely.