Inclusive savings model strengthens crisis readiness and rapid relief funding

IMPACT-BF builds inclusive Village Savings and Loan Associations in Centre-East Burkina Faso to boost resilience of IDPs, host communities, women and people with disabilities. VSLAs provide rapid cash in crises, trainings, livelihood support and protection. Funded by ADA (€1M).

Light for the World (LFTW) is an international NGO based in Vienna, Austria, focused on promoting disability inclusion and eye health in low- and middle-income countries. In Burkina Faso, LFTW together with partners leads IMPACT-BF, a community-driven disaster preparedness initiative that forms inclusive Village Savings and Loan Associations. IMPACT-BF supports marginalized people, especially with disabilities, to build collective savings and provide rapid financial aid during emergencies.

Problems Targeted

Marginalized and disabled people lack access to resources and timely support during crisis events.

Solution, Innovation and Impact

IMPACT-BF applies an inclusive savings-based model for disaster risk reduction in Burkina Faso’s Centre-East region. Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) are created to foster economic resilience and empowerment for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host community members, with an emphasis on persons with disabilities and women. VSLA groups are each made up of 25 vulnerable people from the IDP and host communities. In the IMPACT-BF project, four groups (a total of 100 people) have been set up in four municipalities. Member-contributed savings are pooled and managed at the community level, enabling direct cash payments in the event of a disaster or urgent need. Every four weeks, members may borrow fund in proportion to their accumulated capital and must repay within four weeks at an interest rate set by the group. At the cycle’s end, each member receives the value of their purchased shares plus a share of the interest earned on all loans. Alongside immediate financial relief, the platform offers entrepreneurship and vocational training, start-up kits, and market gardening support to further strengthen livelihoods. Local partners – Croix-Rouge Burkinabè, Association d’Appui et d’Eveil PUGSADA, and local OPDs – jointly carry out capacity-building, advocacy, monitoring, and protection initiatives, including those addressing gender-based violence. Since June 2024, by 2025 four VSLAs had been formed and 1,053 direct beneficiaries (35 percent persons with disabilities) supported.

Funding, Outlook and Transferability

IMPACT-BF is primarily funded by the Austrian Development Agency ( a total of €1 million for 2024 and 2025), with additional support from Light for the World and implemented in partnership with local NGOs and OPDs. The model is designed for replication.. (#ZeroCall26)

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