The Expanding Financial Inclusion in Africa (EFI) project aims to ensure that vulnerable households experience greater financial inclusion to improve their resilience through participation in Savings and Internal Lending Communities (SILC). A Pro-Poor Package (PPP) was developed in order to enable poorer households to participate in SILC groups. Progress -out -of -Poverty Index (PPI) data suggests some success in reaching progressively poorer households. To complement such information, ethnographic research was undertaken at selected sites in two countries (Senegal and Uganda) where EFI implementing partners have demonstrated significant poverty outreach. The aim was to enhance our understanding of experiences of poverty at local level, assess the extent to which the poor are included in SILC groups, identify any barriers to inclusion, and highlight both what has worked and what challenges remain in attracting and retaining participation by the poor.