Coping through Hard Times
In the context of a poor, rural household in Mali, the economic benefits of Saving for Change are extremely valuable. Findings from BARAs research showed that “even marginal benefits to women experienced in [a treatment village] are tremendously appreciated On the one hand, it indicates
that for those living on the threshold of vulnerability, even slight improvements are highly meaningful; it is therefore important not to lose sight of the lived experience of Malian women in interpreting the somewhat muted impacts of Saving for Change found in this study.
The perception of women in [another treatment village] is instructive in this regard: for them, Saving for Change is seen as the only workable system that is flexible enough to sustain them in times of economic crisis, when most options become untenable, and still allow them to maximize gains in times of relative plenty.”12Beyond the results of the impact evaluation, people living in villages that received Saving for Change told powerful stories when they were visited by program staff of how the savings groups helped them weather the 2012 food crisis. Mamadou Biteye, who had worked closely with me to design Saving for Change in 2005, reflected on a visit to Mali during the Sahel food crisis in 2012 to assess humanitarian needs there. As part of his assessment he visited some Saving for Change groups and commented that “it was amazing to have
a discussion with them because we saw that the ladies were less affected by the food crisis because they could take loans in their groups to purchase food. Because they were members of the groups, they were able to run small businesses, petty trading, or microenterprises that were actually helping them earn money in the market and meet the food needs of their families. It was amazing how these women were much more resilient than those who were not members of groups.”13