Changemakers 2024: Q&A

Can you say more about how the people are trained when receiving loans – how do they ensure they are sustainable/ helpful?

• Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) members typically self-select to come together to support one another to save and borrow for a number of different reasons.  

• Newly formed groups tend to comprise of around 15–25 members.  

• Once a group is formed, Christian Aid colleagues and partners run training sessions on how to maintain a successful VSLA, manage money, and run a small business.  

• Once trained, the group is provided with a steel savings box, which is kept by the treasurer or secretary.  

• The box has three locks, that require three selected members to be present to open them. Normally, the box is only opened when all members are present.  

• The members agree on how much they need to save and how often. Each member is given a book to keep a personal record of their own savings and loans.  

• The groups agree limits for how much can be saved and loaned.  

• Loan requests are assessed by the group, who grant them based on need and available funds.  

• Members also make welfare contributions to support one another if they lose a loved one or face ill health. 

Is there any form of joint venture between the CA programme in Burundi and the government of Burundi?  How sustainable is this for the future of CA's programme? 

We believe partnership is the best way to create lasting change. It's at the heart of all our work to fight poverty, respond to humanitarian emergencies and create a fairer, more peaceful world.

Our partners hold deep knowledge of local contexts. They have the specialist skills and meaningful relationships with communities that allow them to build a better future. We don't just fund the work of partner organisations, we invest in them too. As their capacity grows, our network becomes stronger. This is one of the reasons we work through partners organisations and not through governments. 

Our partners in Burundi are: 

• Network of Religious Confessions for the Promotion of Health and Integral Wellbeing of the Family (RCBIF) are a Burundian collective of faith organisations, including Christians and Muslims, founded in 2013. They’ve been supporting the people we work with to set up and maintain Village Savings and Loans Associations as a means to escape extreme poverty and build resilience.  

• Council for Education and Development (COPED) are focussing on helping women and young people to access vocational training, and supporting community healthcare providers, ensuring access to sexual reproductive health services.  

• Anglican Community Development Service (SADC) are supporting families living in poverty by supplying high quality seeds to cultivate crops, along with other non-food items. 

We have supported projects in Burundi and our hearts and prayers are with you… How stable is the present political situation? We know how sad it has been in the past. 

At present, it's reasonably stable, but we know that elections can change situations, and we maintain an awareness of any unrest which may affect our programmes.