To Conclude
In Mali, recall that personal wealth is defined as more food and more animals. Villages where Saving for Change was introduced were less likely to be chronically food insecure and their families increased the value of their livestock and savings.
The impact evaluation also indicated that substantial numbers of the poorest—those who were in the bottom third in terms of food consumption—had joined groups in substantial numbers, although those who were better off were more likely to join. Reaching the poorest was one of the objectives of the program. Although the evidence for women’s empowerment was inconclusive, and RCT data showed no impact on community engagement or social networks, the anthropologists identified a strengthening of preexisting social ties. Finally, there was strong evidence of the viral,How Do We Know It Works? 133 word-of-mouth replication of savings groups in the control villages, further evidence of the relevance and importance of participation in savings groups for members.
In addition to the results from the scientific-impact evaluation conducted by IPA and BARA, the anecdotal observations offered by Mamadou Biteye, Fatoumata Traore, and Roanne Edwards indicate further change in at least some older groups, and their stories help provide a glimpse of the powerful ways that savings groups in Mali have been able to empower women in rural communities to pursue development on their own terms.