
Financial Resilience
DMDO Savings Groups offer a reliable, community-based way to mobilise capital, manage risk, and grow small-scale income. With minimal external input, groups self-govern their financial activity, building the habits and discipline that support resilience, investment and liquidity in rural communities.
Learn about how Savings Groups are changing lives here.
How it Works
Each group includes 10–25 members, usually from the same village. They save weekly by purchasing shares at a set value. These pooled funds are used to:
Issue Loans: Members borrow up to three times their shareholding and repay with interest, usually 10%.
Manage Emergencies: Each group sets aside a social fund for members facing unexpected costs.
Run Business Ventures: Many groups invest in trading, agriculture, or livestock and reinvest the profits.
Apply Penalties: Members pay fines for missed payments or meetings, which go into the group fund.
At the end of a 12-month cycle, all profits are distributed based on shares held. The group then reconstitutes for the next cycle, often with growing membership and capital.
DMDO’s Role
DMDO does not operate savings groups. Instead, we:
Establish new groups and help communities define practical rules.
Train local facilitators to manage meetings, loans, and record-keeping.
Introduce digital tools like the DreamSave App for financial tracking, visibility, and security.
Support long-term performance through occasional check-ins, re-training, and peer exchanges.
Photos from the Field
Success So Far
15+ groups active across Mandwanga and Mnara
High repayment rates and strong financial discipline
Increasing digital adoption across all new groups
Inclusion by design, with participation by members of different literacy levels and physical ability
Growing demand for new groups in neighbouring areas
Impact Tracking
DMDO tracks all active savings groups via DreamSave. This enables real-time insight into:
Group membership and shareholding
Weekly savings performance
Loan volume and repayment
Annual profit distribution
The public dashboard is available here (username: office@dmdo.org password: Dmdo2025!), allowing us to see which savings groups are performing well in terms of member engagement and loan and enterprise activity.