Community Savings: A basic building block in the work of urban poor federations

This paper describes the community savings groups that are the foundation of many federations of slum/shack dwellers / homeless people in Africa, Asia and Latin America.  it reports on discussions with Federation members in Kenya, Namibia, Malawi, the Philippines, Uganda and Zimbabwe, on how savings groups are set up (mostly by women living in informal settlements) and managed; how these groups support their members working together to address difficult issues; and how the savings groups help change relations for the better with local and often national governments as they demonstrate their capabilities.  The challenges that savings groups face and how these are addressed are also discussed.