Dataset

Impact of Savings Groups on the Lives of the Poor

Sustainable Development, MicrofinanceMalawi, Uganda, GhanaMassachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Dataset Objective

To evaluate the impact of a popular development intervention on the lives of low-income households in rural communities by looking at its effects on usage of financial services, microenterprise activity, income, female empowerment, consumption, and the ability to cope with shocks.

Context

Savings-led microfinance programs operate in poor rural communities in developing countries to establish groups that save and then lend out the accumulated savings to each other. This study presents the results from three randomized, controlled trials of the VSLA program implemented by CARE and its partners in Ghana, Malawi, and Uganda over a period of 22–30 mo.

What is included

Tables with summaries on impact of program on families of outcome variables, financial inclusion, community participation, food security, household business outcomes, household income and revenue.

Collection Methods

Household survey within a clustered randomized evaluation spanning three African countries (Ghana, Malawi, and Uganda)