• Zambia
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  • Access to Finance
  • VSLAS (Village Saving & Loan Associations)
  • VSLAS (Village Saving & Loan Associations)

Village Savings and Loans Associations

Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) are groups usually formed by the underprivileged in society to offer sustainable micro-finance services such as micro savings and micro credit among others in places with no access to prescribed financial services. VSLAs are self-managed initiatives and normally do not receive any external capital. They provide members with a safe place to save their monies and acquire small loans from among themselves.

VSLAs focus on building savings and assets as well as providing credit proportionate to the needs and repayment capacities of the borrowers. Groups are usually low cost and simple to manage, which allows women and youths to reach a formal and wider array of financial services. VSLAs raise the self-respect of individual members and help to build social capital within various communities, particularly among women.

angle-left Young Women’s Christian Association of Zambia (YWCA)

Young Women’s Christian Association of Zambia (YWCA)

VSLAs allow women and youths access to credit which they can use to either to start or expand their businesses. It instils in them the discipline of saving and more importantly brings unity and pleasantness among groups, families and communities at large. Savings and loans allow group members to contribute with less pressure to their respective family welfare such as children’s education, health and food. It helps the women and youths come out of poverty. VSLAs therefore are a poverty reduction tool in that they makes loans available for members who would ordinarily not have access to credit from financial institutions to enable them to engage in small businesses.

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

Young Women’s Christian Association of Zambia is a Christian, membership, non-partisan, non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to the empowerment of the community. It has existed for 62 years having been established in 1957. The policy making body of the organization is the National Council. The Board ensures implementation of policies, while the management and staff conduct the day to day operations of the organization. The organization has branches in nine of the 10 provinces of Zambia.


TRAINING FOR VSLAs PROVIDED BY YWCA

1. VSLA formation
2. Book keeping
3. Financial literacy
4. Group formation and constitution development
5. Leadership
6. Networking

How to access YWCA services as a VSLA
• One must be a member of the organization or must be a beneficiary on a project run by the organization.

Fees
• Services are free of charge

Frequency
• As and when funds are available

Training location
• Community or office conference hall

Additional services beneficial to women entrepreneurs
• Linkages and networking
• Exposure / Learning / Exchanges

Events organized by YWCA

• Linkages and networking
• Exposure / Learning / Exchanges


CONTACT INFORMATION

Plot 7392,
P. O. Box 50115,
Nationalist Road, Lusaka
Tel: 255204/254751, Cell: +260 977 843099
Email: executivedirector@ywcazambia.co.zm

Contact person

Patricia Mphanza Ndhlovu
Executive Director,
Tel: +260 977 843099
Email: executivedirector@ywcazambia.co.zm