Digitization is the future of Savings Groups across the globe. Some regions will transition sooner than others, but one day soon digital record-keeping will be the standard.
This webinar will explore the gendered and social dynamics of digital Savings Groups, based on a six-month study by the International Center for Research on Women.
In this webinar, project partners will present findings and key insights in three specific areas:
The gendered effectsof digital Savings Group solutions
Rethinking key roles within digital Savings Groups
The different impacts of transitioning mature groups to digital vs. forming new digital Savings Groups
The research was conducted by ICRW, working with Savings Groups supported by PCI in the Mara region of Tanzania, an extremely rural area with high poverty, low literacy, and limited experience with mobile technology.The study followed two sets of Savings Groups that adopted the DreamSave application. The first set of groups were mature Savings Groups that had been using paper records for several years, and then switched to DreamSave (“Paper-to-Digital”). The second set of groups were trained directly on the DreamSave application (“Born Digital”).
Going digital? Already there? Join us on women’s financial inclusion day during Financial Inclusion Week 2020, for a discussion of the evidence on the gendered and social dynamics of digital Savings Groups.
Speakers
Julia Arnold Senior Director, Gender and Financial Inclusion,Center for Financial Inclusion
Julia leads research and policy discussions within CFI and the inclusive finance industry. She leads a diverse research team that builds on and defines new areas of knowledge and evidence. Before joining CFI, Julia was a Financial Inclusion and Livelihood Specialist at the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW). In this role, she designed, led and supported research on women’s economic empowerment. Prior to this, she was a Financial Inclusion Consultant working with a diverse range of clients such as MetLife Foundation, CGAP, the World Bank, CFI, and others. Julia holds a Master’s degree in International Development from American University in Washington, DC.
Dennis Mello Director of the Women EmpoweredProgram at PCI, a Global Communities Partner
Dennis leads PCI’s Women EmpoweredProgram, a global Savings Group program that focuses on the social and economic empowerment of women. In this role, he provides technical and programmatic support to projects in eight countries. Dennis holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master’s Degree, focused on international economic development, from the University of California, San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy.
DreamStart Labsis a social-impact technology company that helps people achieve their dreams of a better life. Wes has 20+ years of senior executive experience and was voted “Top Executive Leader in Silicon Valley” in 2010. Wes also ran an award-winning microfinance non-profit in rural Africa where he developed an extensive understanding of the opportunities and challenges of developing regions.DreamStart Labs was created to bring world-class technology to underserved markets with excellence, integrity, and scale. His company’s market leading DreamSave application for Savings Groups is currently in use in several countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America.