Learning and savings groups in Bangladesh: an alternative model for transforming families and communities

ABSTRACT

Development programmes centred on microfinance have experienced varied levels of success, especially in Bangladesh. Although impact assessments of these development interventions conclude that poor participants’ access to credit is enhanced, the same empirical analysis reveals less encouraging results on women’s empowerment and community transformation. Food for the Hungry’s Family and Community Transformation (FCT) programme represents an alternative model to the traditional microcredit approach to development by emphasising internal savings, holistic training, and the build-up of community-wide social capital. Group graduation to sustainable independence takes a joint commitment of up to ten years.

KEYWORDS:

• Aid – Capacity development
• Gender and diversity
• Labour and livelihoods – Microfinance
• South Asia

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

John Marsden is the former Country Director for Bangladesh, and former Asia Regional Director for Food for the Hungry, and is now a Principal in Mustard Seeds Shared, Galashiels, UK.

Kate Marsden is a former Training Advisor for Food for the Hungry and is now a Principal in Mustard Seeds Shared, Galashiels, UK.

Mizanur Rahman is Programme Director for Food for the Hungry, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Tim Danz is the Asia Regional Director for Food for the Hungry, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Andrea Danz is Gender Adviser for Food for the Hungry, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Paul Wilson is University Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA.

Notes

1 Widely-accepted case study research methods produced this case description of the FCT programme (see Patton 2002 and Yin 2009 for details on this research approach). One of the co-authors utilised FCT programme documentation, archival records, interviews with programme staff and participants, field observations, and physical artefacts (e.g. participant notebooks) to organise the qualitative and quantitative data contained in this article. The other co-authors triangulated on the case research findings to validate the shared understanding of the description of the FCT programme.