Saving Group Members
Average annual savings
Breaking the cycle of poverty and empowering individuals and communities
SaveAct facilitates the formation of savings groups in communities as a simple but effective tool to fight poverty, as a foundation for building sustainable livelihoods, and as a means to empower women and other vulnerable groups.
Founded in Pietermaritzburg in 2005, we have 110 000 individual members in eight provinces in South Africa and work with a network of committed partner organisations.
Our unique savings model incorporates:
Last-mile Distribution
What We Do
Savings groups and financial capability
We facilitate the establishment in rural communities of voluntary savings groups that allow people to save and grow their money. We work with partners across eight provinces to scale up the model, which includes financial education and enterprise development.
Livelihoods and enterprise development
Building on the success of savings groups, we have created a livelihoods and enterprise development (LED) programme. This aims to improve livelihood and wealth creation opportunities in a sustainable manner while empowering people to take ownership of their enterprises.
Last mile access: Zis’Ukhanyo
To achieve long-term sustainability, savings groups and enterprise groups need to be able to access goods and services at reasonable prices — often in deep rural areas where these commodities are hard to come by. The Zis’Ukhanyo programme tackles those needs.
Building ecosystems
We have a vision of using technology and access to markets to build an improved “ecosystem” with financial and other services designed around the needs of savings groups and, more generally, those who continue to be largely excluded from the dominant development path.
Latest News
Giving Tuesday
It is Giving Tuesday! If you identify with the work of SaveAct please consider donating to this powerful way of enabling women to save and move out of poverty. Click on the link above to DONATE or email angela@saveact.org.za if you prefer to do a direct EFT.
Supporting Sex Workers
SaveAct has been working in financial education, savings methodology, and livelihood pathways for 20 years. Over that time, the organisation has extended its reach to over 110,000 people—with plans to reach two million women and youth over the next 10 years. Between...
Saving for Sustainability
SaveAct’s methodology shows that savings groups are about more than just money. The methodology can be used in conjunction with and to support so many other initiatives. As we know, food security is becoming a major global concern, and the production of food that is...
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