We help communities establish Savings Groups for members of the community who cannot access savings and loans facilities from banks or micro finance institutions. A Savings Group is a group of community members who come together voluntarily to save money together. They are owned, managed and operated by their members using a simple, transparent mechanism by which they can convert small amounts of cash into savings and then draw upon small, flexible loans when needed.

Membership of a Savings group helps families plan for and meet essential healthcare and education cost, and cope with emergencies and life events without being exposed to debt.  It also helps families build up capital to make smalls investments to gradually work their way out of poverty.

Supporting farmers to grow more crops is only half the battle. Small scale farmers often find it difficult to secure a decent price for their produce. Many struggle to access profitable markets, are poorly equipped to analyse market trends and requirements, and lack the resources to take advantage of business opportunities. 

World Vision supports farmer’s groups with training in marketing and business skills to help them analyze and respond to opportunities, in order to obtain a better price. Farmers coming together in associations and cooperatives means they have better bargaining power, can access credit more easily and can pull their resources to better afford transport, seeds, tools and fertiliser. We also work with farmers to develop improved storage practices, and processing and packaging techniques that add value to their produce, so they can be more competitive.

World Vision prepares communities to assess risks and capacities, reduce those risks, and at the same time strengthen their resilience to disaster risks. For example, community members (both adults and children) receive life-saving training that will help them survive in the case of floods or an earthquake. Early-warning systems are installed, and specially strengthened houses and buildings are constructed to withstand disasters such as floods. 

Applying a NSA approach within our agriculture work, we aim to enhance year-round access to nutritious and diverse foods, increase income and empower individuals to meet their families’ needs.

FMNR is a low cost land restoration technique. It is a community-led solution based on nature, aiming to reverse environmental degradation and tackles poverty. It involves the re-growth and management of trees and stumps from felled tree stumps, sprouting roots or seeds.  The re-grown vegetation – integrated into crop land or grazing pastures – helps restore soil fertility, protects from soil erosion and support the land absorb rainfall so it can be harnessed for crop production and replenish water sources. As a result, FMNR can double crop yields, provide a sustainable source of timber and firewood, fodder and shade for livestock, wild foods and nutrition and medication, and increased incomes and living standards for farming families and communities.

Government commitments and budgets guarantee essential services to families: but in reality, the most marginalised often miss out when governments don’t fulfil their promises. Social accountability empowers communities to speak up and advocate for better services and policies from their governments. The Citizen Voice and Action (CVA) project model has been used across more than 50 countries since 2005 to help communities hold their local and national governments accountable, and work with them to improve services. It aims to encourage children and youth participation in community decision-making processes, as World Vision believes that creating spaces for children's activism has a transformative impact on their lives and has the power to change society for the better.