Want to see men engaged in women’s leadership? Look no further than Koh Kong, Cambodia, where one man told us, “If another man came to me for advice on whether his wife should join a group? I would say to him that he should not waste time thinking and let her join! Let her follow her heart!”
Why are men so convinced? Because following their hearts into VSLAs has shown huge benefits for women and communities. CARE research with the COADY group took a look at impacts of several projects using savings-led approaches funded through Australian Aid in Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Laos. Take a look at what they found.
What did we accomplish?
- Fewer food shortages: In Cambodia, the number of households with food shortages dropped 90% after joining the VSLA. In Myanmar, families saw a 59% drop.
- Better access to health: 87% of women in Myanmar and 95% of women in Cambodia saw better access to health care after joining the VSLA, especially non-emergency care.
- More economic independence: In Cambodia, there was a 90% drop in women being forced to rely on badly-paid seasonal labor with poor working conditions after having been in the VSLA for 5 years (the drop was 33% in the first year) because they could build their own businesses.
- Higher savings: There is a 7 fold increase in the number of women who have savings than at the beginning of the projects. 100% of women reported an increase in income.
- Increased self confidence: In Vietnam, there was a 19% increase in women’s willingness to speak in public, and 93% of women in Cambodia listed increased self-confidence as the primary non-economic benefit they saw.
- More, better assets: 92% of women in Myanmar reported increased assets after joining the VSLAs, and 80% of them invested in productive assets like livestock or businesses. 65% saw an increase in housing quality.
How did we get there?
- Build women’s leadership: 85% of the VSLA leaders are women, and in most areas where we work, these are the only women’s run groups at the community level.
- Create safe spaces: 100% of women felt that their money was safe in community VSLAs, which is one of the reasons they are so much more popular that other ways to get loans.
- Be flexible: After 1-2 years using the standard model, groups often started changing the VSLA rules to better suit their needs. In Cambodia, one group cut the required savings level in half to make sure that the poorest members of the community could be included in the VSLA. They also often changed the length of the savings cycle to better accommodate the agricultural season.
- Think about scale and sustainability: So far, only Cambodia is using the Village Agent model to spread VSLAs, but they are reaching approximately 40% of the VSLAs. They are also an important sustainability factor according to the team in Cambodia.
What did we learn?
The report is full of fascinating information about all kinds of topics—including contextual differences between the different countries. Some of the key lessons that rise to the top are:
- Pay attention to women’s workloads: In many cases, women increase the amount of work they are doing because the VSLA opens new opportunities for them. But the social change that would get the men in their lives to pick up some of the domestic workload are much slower—so at least in the short term we risk overburdening women.
- Create better links to markets: While women saw major improvements in their livelihoods, links to broader market opportunities were weak, which can limit growth. Programs should aim to set these links up early as part of business training.
- Find ways to include the poorest people: Often, the most vulnerable people don’t join VSLAs because they feel they can’t save any money. New programs should make specific efforts to get the poorest people involved early so they can also benefit.
Want to learn more?
Read the full research report.