Post-Project Replication of Savings Groups in Uganda

This report studies the village savings and loans associations (VSLAs) and savings and internal lending communities (SILCs) savings groups (SGs) in Uganda that were established in multi-year projects by two facilitating agencies, CARE and Catholic Relief Services (CRS). Project funding phased out completely in 2012, but savings groups continue to spring up, or ‘replicate. The report estimates the rate at which they replicated after the original project funding ended.The study team conducted field research in Uganda and collected data through surveys and focus group discussions with replicated groups and the original project groups. Findings include:

• Overall, replicated groups appeared to uphold the core features of the VSLA/SILC model, with small adjustments tailored to the needs of members;
• Among replicated groups, more were self-formed than formed with the help of an agent;
• Replicated groups performed similarly to project groups, with some differences that are worthy of further study;
• Members of replicated groups reported major benefits and expressed broad satisfaction with saving, borrowing, and purchasing assets. However, a few examples of unwise decision making suggest the need for ongoing training;
• Membership in multiple groups was higher among replicated groups (56%) than project groups (47%).