Programme 5
2019 – PresentFAST Savings Group Programme
Finance Accelerating Savings Group Transformation, VisionFund International
- Organisation
- VisionFund International
- Role
- Global Director of Digitization, Overall Programme Lead
- Scope
- 10 African countries
- 11,000+Groups
- 90,000+Members
- 320,000+Children Impacted
- <2.5%PAR 30
Overview
FAST lends capital directly into World Vision savings group cashboxes. I was the overall programme lead, accountable for delivery strategy, the country rollout plan and the move of a legally significant approval flow off paper without losing auditability.
The Problem
Group lending was cash and paper based across ten countries, with limited auditability, slow approval cycles and no consistent portfolio monitoring. Delivery had to hold credit quality while scaling rapidly.
My Role & Delivery Leadership
Overall programme lead. Owned the rollout schedule and dependency map, the RAID register, country readiness and training, portfolio quality targets, acceptance of the digital approval flow and benefits reporting to the sponsor.
Delivery Approach
Phased delivery with iterative product releases across ten countries
Product and compliance framing for cashless group lending, sponsor and country buy-in
→ Charter, country engagement plan
Country rollout schedule, dependency mapping, risk register and portfolio quality targets
→ Rollout plan, RAID register
Incremental build of the approval flow with field validation cycles in pilot countries
→ Product increments, field validation results
Country by country deployment with training, monitoring of PAR 30 and adoption
→ Country rollout reports, KPI dashboard
Auditability review of the digital approval flow, acceptance by country operations
→ Audit trail evidence, acceptance sign-off
Performance review against portfolio targets, handover and lessons learned
→ Benefits review, closure report
Key Challenges & Solutions
Delivering to groups rather than individuals
Requirements built around a group entity model with role based approvals, validated with field operations before country rollout.
Maintaining auditability without paper
Audit trail requirements set as non negotiable acceptance criteria and evidenced before each country went live.
Adoption among rural, low literacy members
Country training and change plans run ahead of each rollout wave, with adoption tracked as a delivery KPI.
Outcomes & Impact
11,000+ groups across 10 countries: Reaching 90,000+ members and impacting 320,000+ children.
Under 2.5% PAR 30: Among the strongest credit quality metrics in the network.
100% cashless and paperless: All transactions through mobile money, eliminating cash handling risk.
Part of the $100M Strong Women Impact Fund: Embedded in the VisionFund and World Vision flagship impact fund.