I'm halfway through reading "In Their Own Hands: How Savings Groups are Revolutionizing Development" by Jeffrey Ashe and Kyla Jagger Neilan. The principles the authors discuss, the models used, and the successes seen are what we are using and seeing in Haiti - which is both very encouraging and also very frustrating (more below).
Principles:
- dependency and handouts are not empowering
- poor people are very smart and careful with their money
- when teaching adults one should apply principles of teaching for adult learners (participatory with immediate practical application)
Models:
- local trainers (who then naturally have cultural expertise)
- volunteer-based
- an "interactive training process that empower[s] participants to feel ownership over their knowledge."
- most of the specific savings groups models mentioned (ROSCA, SHG, and now mutual solidarity) are ones that we've used
Successes Seen:
- voluntary replication/multiplication
- a mentality change in the participants to one of pride in their knowledge and ability
I mentioned above that this is both wonderfully affirming and also frustrating. It is affirming because during my nearly five years of working with our Haiti team I see over and over that we are using best practices. It is frustrating because we are lacking a few critical ingredients to really do our work in the best possible way. The authors of the book brag about the low budgets they work with – but ours are far, far lower and do not permit us to do the more thorough training and follow-up as the authors do.
We need a development director to help us to have the financial and personnel resources to continue to flourish. If you know of anyone that is skilled in this area and would enjoy the challenge of working with a grassroots organization that is doing phenomenal work, please let me know.
