Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) tend to spread in one of two ways. The first is through formal project interventions. The second, and often most sustainable, happens organically when a woman sees a neighbor thrive and wants the same opportunity for herself. That second kind of expansion runs on trust and depends on having a trained leader nearby who knows the methodology well enough to guide a new group through its first steps.
To support this community-led model, CARE, the African Women Entrepreneurship Cooperative (AWEC), and TechChange joined forces, supported by funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies. Together, we embarked on an initiative to train trusted African women entrepreneurs as Community-Based Trainers (CBTs).
A Powerhouse Cohort of Local Leaders
AWEC selected 15 alumnae from 39 applicants across eight countries: Botswana, Ghana, Madagascar, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. These women brought a wide range of experience and perspectives, already leaders and entrepreneurs with strong roots in the communities they serve. Yetunde Olasoji, in Nigeria, runs a tech hub for underserved communities. Patricia Gweliwo, in northern Ghana, works with women's cooperatives in the shea butter value chain. Others included solar entrepreneurs, fashion designers, microfinance innovators, and local hub leaders.
These women already understood the needs and constraints their communities faced, and how a VSLA might help meet them. What they still needed was the formal methodology, the piece that would let them turn that understanding into a real, lasting pipeline of trained CBTs.
Inside the Training of Trainers (ToT) Journey
The learning path developed by CARE and TechChange combined self-paced foundational study with rigorous practical application:
- VSLA Fundamentals: Participants began with 6 to 8 hours of self-paced coursework to understand the core principles of the VSLA methodology, best practices, and practical approaches for implementing VSLAs.
- The 6-Week ToT: Cohort members completed an orientation week followed by five weeks combining self-paced modules with live, interactive sessions.
- Role-Play & Rehearsal: Live sessions focused on facilitation practice and role-playing to build confidence before leading real groups.
- Action Planning: Each participant designed a tailored community implementation plan addressing local leader engagement and member mobilization.
As Mpolokang from Botswana shared:
“The facilitators were emphasizing the literal execution of each step outlined in the CARE VSLA training manual. After some years in the field, we tend to take community mobilization processes for granted, and that results in skipping vital steps, which can lead to a community rejecting or misinterpreting a program.”
Human Connection Drives Digital Results
Putting the training online didn't reduce the importance of human connection. Throughout the course, participants engaged directly with facilitators during live sessions, received ongoing guidance between sessions and exchanged experiences with peers across eight countries through a dedicated WhatsApp group. The result was a learning experience that combined the flexibility of online delivery with the interaction and support often associated with in-person training.
Balancing jobs, travel, family commitments, and spotty internet across six time zones, 13 of the 15 participants fully completed the training, an 87% completion rate given the demands of the course. Ninety-two percent of those who finished said they'd strongly recommend it without hesitation.
By the end of the ToT, participants left with an action plan to mobilize, form, and support VSLAs in their own communities. CBTs make VSLA groups durable once outside support ends: a trained person nearby who can support a group to run on its own terms. AWEC's team will follow up on their progress and report back to CARE and TechChange, a process that will continue to generate lessons for how this model can work elsewhere.
The talented AWEC cohort is carrying VSLA forward for the future, lifting the women around them and expanding financial inclusion in their communities on their own terms. As Ama Duncan, in Ghana, summarized: “VSLA is a tool women can use to elevate their financial status and thereby their communities.”
By putting human connection at the heart of the digital experience, the program enabled these leaders to translate online learning into real-world capability.