About CoMSCA
CoMSCA or Community Managed Savings and Credit Association is a system of creating a local pool of capital to provide members access to useful lump sums to meet predictable expenses, to reduce shocks to vulnerable livelihoods, facilitate household cash-flow management, and make short-term investments in income-generating activities.
The Objectives
CoMSCA is one of the World Vision’s Economic Development approaches aims: To provide simple savings and loan facilities, in a community that does not have access to formal financial services.
The Purpose
This economic development initiative is believed by World Vision Development Foundation (WVDF) as one of the effective sustainability mechanisms and means for integrated programming — enabling families to have increased income while improving education, health, welfare of women and children, and building peace in the assisted communities.
Concepts
- It is a community-based groups that mobilise and manage their own savings, providing loans to members and offering a limited form of financial insurance
- It is self-managed and independent
- It is usually time-bound – it shares out member equity at least once a year in proportion to savings
- Meant to establish institutional and financial independence
- It is practices are simple and based on the context of the community.
- It is primary purpose is to provide simple savings and loan facilities in a community that does not have access to formal financial services.
Targets
- Women
- Children
- Youth
- Farmers
- PWDs
- Senior Citizens
- Others
Services Offer
Savings
Members save in CoMSCA by buying shares/ each member has the opportunity to purchase between one (1) to five (5) shares. The agreed amount per share should allow a member to purchase shares every meeting. Savings are maintained in a loan fund from which members can borrow in small amounts, up to a maximum of three times their individual savings when the group has enough loan fund.