Life is once again moving at a faster pace than I can keep up with, especially through blog posts! Let’s hit the pause button on the narrative of my recent travels through the western Balkans and head straight into my latest, most spontaneous adventure to date, at least with regard to work. I was aware as early as September that a trip to Tanzania in October was possible. We had submitted our bid, waited patiently, and come October 1st, hadn’t yet heard back from the client on the assignment scheduled to begin that very day. Come Thursday, October 4th, after a few joyous moments of celebration having learned that my proposal had won the competition, the panic and chaos roared in as we were subsequently notified that my colleague and I were required to be on a plane that weekend for our first meeting in Dar es Salaam the following Monday morning. With a pending presentation on microfinance and inclusive economic growth to be given that Saturday morning in Baltimore, it became unfathomable. Airline tickets were bought in a rush on Friday afternoon just before close of business, and after some negotiation with the client and delivery of my presentation, we found ourselves on the first plane out to Dar Sunday morning. And, well, here we are, on day three of our month long consultancy.
It has been over four years since I last visited Sub-Saharan Africa, and I have missed it dearly. I deboarded the Emirates flight with tremendous enthusiasm to be back in Africa, Tanzania, and always, “the field.” My colleague and I are here to conduct a midterm evaluation of a community-based savings group project that is a part of a larger program to enhance the quality of life and social wellbeing of households in Lindi and Mtwara regions through sustainable socio-economic interventions in food security, income generation, health, and education. Have I lost you yet? To put it simply, access to finance and reliable livelihoods in the poorest regions of Tanzania (Lindi and Mtwara) was practically nonexistent until the commencement of this program. As an introductory step to increasing the access to financial services for the poor living in these rural, quite disconnected parts of the country, informal savings groups are being established throughout the regions to promote a savings habit, financial literacy, social cohesion, and access to credit that is primarily invested into expanding small businesses and agriculture production. There are several methodologies in practice today to promote similar groups, the most common being Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA), the model we are assessing on this assignment, and Savings for Change (SfC). Our assignment entails conducting a qualitative and quantitative analysis of these groups and assessing whether these truly have increased access to finance in a sustainable way for the poor, understanding in what ways membership has impacted lives, assessing and then advising on the potential for self-replicability of savings groups, and finally assessing and helping devise means to create synergies between this and other livelihood/agriculture programs in the region.
Savings group models are quite simple and typically involve groups with 15-25 members, who are required to establish a governance committee and meet once a week to engage in small financial transactions --- savings deposits and loan disbursements. All transactions are recorded in individual passbooks, and funds are kept in a box secured by three locks, for which three different keys are kept with three different group members exclusive to the governance committee. All transactions are done with particular transparency in front of all members as each individual transaction is announced multiple times to the group. Though simple, this model has truly changed lives by building the financial literacy and confidence of members. Through small loans and the cash received at the end of each annual cycle through the payout of shares, members have had the means to send their children to school, build a new home, and as I learned today, even purchase small plots of land to grow produce and supplement their household income. It is absolutely fantastic. Irrespective of how many savings groups I’ve observed in my career, I can never tire of seeing how well some of these groups function and the positive impact they have on the lives of the poor, especially women. I adore the welcome songs, dancing, and clapping we are greeted by and sent off with, and the exchange of smiles and handshakes meant to strike a sincere human connection.
Mtwara and Lindi are located along the southeastern coast of Tanzania and considered the poorest regions in the country, largely due to lack of infrastructure and investment. The region is most known for its production of cashew nuts, sesame, and rice in which most households are engaged. Newly discovered offshore deposits have recently attracted oil companies to drill and extrapolate this high demand commodity. This has led to the advent of recent construction of tarmac roads (a few) and a bridge that now connects the two sides of the Rufiji River, a once impassable obstacle during the rainy seasons that further limited the transportation of goods, services, and people. Still, our field work these last few days and for another week more continue to take us down dusty, bumpy dirt roads through sparsely populated remote areas with irregular access to electricity to reach our target areas. How I truly do miss the Hotel Serena in Dar es Salaam at this moment! But, as much as accommodation admittedly does stress me out, particularly difficult bathroom situations and the balancing acts that ensue, field work is where my heart is. It is where I find the most happiness and satisfaction. It really is where my livelihood most becomes my soul food.
Stay tuned for more updates and lessons we are learning out here, of course, access to internet permitting!
It has been over four years since I last visited Sub-Saharan Africa, and I have missed it dearly. I deboarded the Emirates flight with tremendous enthusiasm to be back in Africa, Tanzania, and always, “the field.” My colleague and I are here to conduct a midterm evaluation of a community-based savings group project that is a part of a larger program to enhance the quality of life and social wellbeing of households in Lindi and Mtwara regions through sustainable socio-economic interventions in food security, income generation, health, and education. Have I lost you yet? To put it simply, access to finance and reliable livelihoods in the poorest regions of Tanzania (Lindi and Mtwara) was practically nonexistent until the commencement of this program. As an introductory step to increasing the access to financial services for the poor living in these rural, quite disconnected parts of the country, informal savings groups are being established throughout the regions to promote a savings habit, financial literacy, social cohesion, and access to credit that is primarily invested into expanding small businesses and agriculture production. There are several methodologies in practice today to promote similar groups, the most common being Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA), the model we are assessing on this assignment, and Savings for Change (SfC). Our assignment entails conducting a qualitative and quantitative analysis of these groups and assessing whether these truly have increased access to finance in a sustainable way for the poor, understanding in what ways membership has impacted lives, assessing and then advising on the potential for self-replicability of savings groups, and finally assessing and helping devise means to create synergies between this and other livelihood/agriculture programs in the region.
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| Children of clients in Masasi District in Mtwara |
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| A savings group meeting in Masasi District, Mtwara |
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| Female savings group member in Tandahimba District, Mtwara |
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| Child in Tandahimba District, Mtwara |
Savings group models are quite simple and typically involve groups with 15-25 members, who are required to establish a governance committee and meet once a week to engage in small financial transactions --- savings deposits and loan disbursements. All transactions are recorded in individual passbooks, and funds are kept in a box secured by three locks, for which three different keys are kept with three different group members exclusive to the governance committee. All transactions are done with particular transparency in front of all members as each individual transaction is announced multiple times to the group. Though simple, this model has truly changed lives by building the financial literacy and confidence of members. Through small loans and the cash received at the end of each annual cycle through the payout of shares, members have had the means to send their children to school, build a new home, and as I learned today, even purchase small plots of land to grow produce and supplement their household income. It is absolutely fantastic. Irrespective of how many savings groups I’ve observed in my career, I can never tire of seeing how well some of these groups function and the positive impact they have on the lives of the poor, especially women. I adore the welcome songs, dancing, and clapping we are greeted by and sent off with, and the exchange of smiles and handshakes meant to strike a sincere human connection.
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| Savings group in Masasi District, Mtwara |
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| Waiting for his turn to deposit savings |
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| Child of a cashew growing client waits for the meeting to end |
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| Money counters each count and announce all funds |
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| Children in Mtwara town |
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| How adorable is she? Another child in Mtwara town |
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| One of two male clients in a savings group in Mtwara town |
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| My colleague showing clients their photos on his iPad! |
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| Another client in Mtwara |
Mtwara and Lindi are located along the southeastern coast of Tanzania and considered the poorest regions in the country, largely due to lack of infrastructure and investment. The region is most known for its production of cashew nuts, sesame, and rice in which most households are engaged. Newly discovered offshore deposits have recently attracted oil companies to drill and extrapolate this high demand commodity. This has led to the advent of recent construction of tarmac roads (a few) and a bridge that now connects the two sides of the Rufiji River, a once impassable obstacle during the rainy seasons that further limited the transportation of goods, services, and people. Still, our field work these last few days and for another week more continue to take us down dusty, bumpy dirt roads through sparsely populated remote areas with irregular access to electricity to reach our target areas. How I truly do miss the Hotel Serena in Dar es Salaam at this moment! But, as much as accommodation admittedly does stress me out, particularly difficult bathroom situations and the balancing acts that ensue, field work is where my heart is. It is where I find the most happiness and satisfaction. It really is where my livelihood most becomes my soul food.
Stay tuned for more updates and lessons we are learning out here, of course, access to internet permitting!
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| And another client in Mtwara |
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| Treasurer of a group |
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| The gorgeous Indian Ocean in Mtwara |
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