A community based facilitator for Invisible Children leads the participants in a discussion about VSLA methodology at one of the training sites on Wednesday afternoon.
A local youth center and primary school hosted a different sort of student this week than those that might typically crowd into their classrooms. Approximately 70 members of Invisible Children’s Village Savings and Loans Associations came together in their communities for a “refresher” course that took place on Wednesday and Thursday.
According to ICU’s Livelihoods team, the training was organized to “bridge the gaps” between the initial training VSLA members received before beginning the program and to confront any questions and problems that have come up during their savings cycles. 106 participants from other groups participated in a similar training in December.
The topics covered at the training include VSLA best practices, group dynamics, leadership, constitution development, record keeping and group action audit, where members share out their earnings and pay off loans at the end of the saving cycles. Members explained what areas they hoped to focus on to facilitators and staff members from Invisible Children so the training could be adapted accordingly.
Each VSLA group is represented by a couple of their members who gather the information, share it with their group members and ensure and encourage improvement in any problem areas.
Half of the training attendees pose for a photograph during a break in their training.
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