Angeline Munzara IFPRI-FAO conference side event, "Accelerating the End of Hunger and Malnutrition" November 28–30, 2018 Bangkok, Thailand

1. Accelerating Progress to Ending Hunger &
Malnutrition:
The Powerof Savings forTransformation
Groups (S4T)
AngelineMunzara
SeniorExternalEngagementAdvisor&Savings
GroupsProjectModelManager
WorldVisionInternational
Angeline_Munzara@wvi.org
29November,2018
Saving Group: South Dafur

2. Introduction
Saving Group: Uganda
• Conflictandclimatechangeinfragilesettingshaveledtoprotracted
crises,forcingpopulationsintorefugeeandinternallydisplaced
people’scampsanddisruptinglocaleconomies.
• Resultinginhighratesof hunger&malnutritionascapacityofparents
andcaregiverstoprovidewellfortheirchildrenisreduced.
SolutionisHolistic: SDG 2 calls for multi-sectorial
responses to addressing hunger and malnutrition. Not
only is humanitarian assistance is sufficient to
address the challenge. Solutions must bridge the
humanitarian and development divide to build
resilient and productive societies and end
intergenerational cycles of poverty.

3. Financial Inclusion as part of the
solution?
Saving Group: Rwanda
SDG2:3“By2030,doubletheagriculturalproductivityandincomesofsmall-
scalefoodproducers,inparticularwomen,indigenouspeoples,familyfarmers,
pastoralistsandfishers,includingthroughsecureandequalaccesstoland,
otherproductiveresourcesandinputs,knowledge,financialservices,markets
andopportunitiesforvalueadditionandnon-farmemployment.”
• Doublingagriculturalproductivityandincomesensuresthatallelementsof
foodsecurityaremet(availability;accessibility;affordabilityandcultural
compatibility)
• Financialinclusionhasaroletoplaytosupportproductivityandincreasing
incomes.
• 1.7billionadultshavenoaccesstobankingservices(WorldBank,Global
FindexIndex2017:MeasuringFinancialInclusionandtheFintech
Revolution)

4. World Vision’s Savings for
Transformation Groups as a form
of financial inclusion
Saving Group: Ethiopia
• Peopleorganizedintogroupswheretheysavetogether
andaccesssmallloansbasedonVSLAmodel
• S4Tworksinallcontextsincludingfragile
• Membersorganizedingroupsof15-25
• Noassettransferswithoutrepaymentplanfor
sustainabilitypurposes
• Thetransformationwewanttosee-improvednutrition;
betteraccesstohealthservices,bettereducation

5. Transitioning from VSLAs to Transformation Groups
Total # of groups
in 36 countries
WV S4T groups #of members Total Reach
(beneficiaries)
$ value
48 967 14,627 +570 000 22,263, 458 US$12 million
CountryCongo Democratic RepublicEthiopia Ghana Kenya Lesotho Malawi Mexico Mongolia MozambiqueMyanmar
#
membe 5,666 62,676 6,824 6,924 2,016 25,351 1,733 4,582 2,768 20,271
#
groups 287 3,200 223 337 128 1,947 149 302 144 932
Niger Philippines Senegal Sierra LeoneSri Lanka Swaziland Tanzania Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe
#
membe
rs 42,333 56,746 32,295 24,330 598 604 92,035 40,184 31,922 35,876
#
groups 1,819 2,621 1,286 986 33 29 3,789 1,541 1,920 4,865
WV Network

6. The Power of Savings for Transformation Groups to
ensure Availability; Accessibility and
Affordability of Food in Fragile Contexts
• S4TintegrationwithCashTransfers(South
Sudan/Somalia/Kenya)
• S4Tintegrationwithproducergroups
(Rwanda/Ethiopia)
• S4Tintegrationwithultrapoorgraduation
programming(Bangladesh)
• S4Tasaplatformfornutritionandwaterand
sanitationeducationpluspeacebuildinginconflict
pronecontexts(e.g.Rwanda,Zambiamembers
canaffordmedicalaid&inSomalia,SouthSudan,
Nigerforpeacebuilding)
# groups # members
Bangladesh 243 4,812
Kenya 822 16,171
Somalia 127 2,243
Rwanda 6,080 152,414
DRC 505 9,324
Ethiopia 4,419 82,797

7. Key Messages on the Power
of Savings Groups
• Caneasilybeappliedinfragilecontextstobuildresilientand
productivelivelihoodsofthemostvulnerablecommunities.
• Offersabridgebetweenthehumanitariananddevelopment
dividetostarttheprocessofemergencyrecoveryforlonglasting
foodandnutritionsecurity.
• S4Tgroupswhenintegratedasanunderlyingpillarinnutrition
sensitivevaluechains,theyhelptoboostagriculturalproductivity
ofsmallholderfarmerswhentheyhaveaccesstoagricultural
inputsontimeandwhentheyaretaughtonfinancialliteracyand
theimportanceofsavingwhentheyselltheirproduce.
• Provideaplatformforeducationonnutrition,health,waterand
sanitation,peacebuildingetctomembersofthegroup.