CARE Zambia’s Intanda Project Drives Financial Inclusion for Women

BY JONAS MISELO

A total of 5,269 community members in Choma and Monze districts of Southern Province are actively participating in 166 Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) established under the Intand a Project by CARE Zambia, in partnership with Children Sentinel Trust Zambia (CSTZ).

These groups are providing critical access to savings and credit services, with members using loans to invest in businesses and improve household livelihoods.

Of the total members, 5,099 are women, accounting for 97% of all participants. This highlights the project's strong focus on fostering financialinclusion and economic empowerment, particularly among women who are a key pillar of CARE Zambia’s programming.

This is a step towards the enhancement of access to quality Early Childhood Development (ECD) by equipping children and parents with tools that improve cognitive development, as well as basic numeracy and literacy skills. Through the VSLAs, parents are better positioned to support their children’s education and well-being.

The project convened a VSLA symposium to bring together various stakeholders to discuss the best practices, challenges, and innovations in Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA), create an opportunity for VSLA groups to showcase how individual VSLA members are investing their savings beyond traditional practices in response to the VSLA+ model, which promotes" saving beyond the box", and to create an opportunity for VSLA members to learn, network through the interaction with the government departments, private sectors and other VSLA groups.

Speaking at the symposium, CARE Zambia Program Manager for Education and Empowerment, Brian Phiri, emphasized that organization’s  programming emphasizes the use of VSLAs as a model of economic empowerment for the communities served by CARE.  

And, CARE Zambia’s Monitoring and Learning Program Coordinator, Patrick Kaleng’a, highlighted that VSLAs are transforming lives and fostering resilience, noting that the groups are performing exceptionally well and bringing meaningful change to the targeted communities.

He also revealed that the number of VSLAs created under the projectrepresents a 15% increase against initial targets, demonstrating the growing demand for such grassroots financial services.

The two-day symposium brought together project leads, government departments, private sector players, and community members to share best practices, identify challenges, and explore innovations within the VSLA model. Groups also showcased how individual members are going beyond traditional savings by investing in agriculture, retail, and other ventures under the expanded VSLA+ model.

The VSLA+ approach encourages members to pursue diverse investment opportunities while fostering linkages with government departments, the private sector, and other VSLA networks.

Speaking at the event, Ministry of Education Director of School and Health Nutrition, Malalu Mulundika, encouraged communities to take advantage of the school feeding program as a reliable market for locally produced goods.

“Let me take this opportunity to encourage cooperatives to get the right documents in order to benefit from the existing market,” she said.

She emphasized that stronger ties between local agriculture and school nutrition programs will enhance food security and spur economic growth at the community level.

Meanwhile, CSTZ Executive Director Hamilton Mambo called for strengthened partnerships between government, private sector, and VSLA groups to drive sustainable, community-led development.

CARE Zambia Director of Programs, Dr. Henry Loongo, emphasized that CARE Zambia continues to promote VSLAs as a cornerstone for women’s economic empowerment, integrating them across key sectors including education, agriculture and climate resilience, and health and nutrition.-NAIS

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