Table 2.

Lessons learned from the process of promoting saving groups for maternal and newborn health.

	Benefits	Challenges	Lessons
Identification of existing saving groups	Pre-existing saving groups stable in terms of membership, management and saving practices. There are multiple partners promoting saving at community level. Whereas most groups are dominated by women, the men also had their own groups and some had both men and women.	Some areas do not have pre-existing groups and groups need to be established. Pre-selection of members results in inequity. Previous bad experiences hinder joining existing groups. Male membership in female groups introduces gender power dynamics, making the women less secure of their rights and the security of their money.	Pre-existing groups are more sustainable and are a resource for mentoring new groups. Existing partners can reduce inequity by supporting those who are unable to join and save. Allow the community members to set their own criteria for joining saving groups.
Orientation of the saving group leaders Registration Constitution Management of funds	Training of group leaders fosters confidence in members. Registration of saving groups is important for seeking legal support in case defaulting borrowers Constitutions with guidelines for membership, leadership, collection and utilization of funds are important for guiding their operations. Groups are able to generate substantial amounts of money within a reasonable period of time	Illiteracy restricts building financial management skills Small groups tended not to register. Illiteracy is a barrier for developing and implementing constitutions. Lack of focus on health. Large funds attract fraud and theft.	Training should not be one-off but rather continuous. Small groups need to be supported to register by making procedures simple and costs affordable. Language used in constitution needs to be contextualized and simplified. Orient leaders on how to incorporate health within constitutions. Groups need to be supported to secure bank accounts or mobile money accounts.
Provision of support to saving groups	Investment of group savings helps generate interest and more income to the groups. Properly managed groups are likely to grow and to be sustained.	Many groups don’t invest their money. Poor selection of investments can lead to financial losses and loss of trust.	Provide support through existing structures like community development organizations or NGOs.
Saving groups as a communication platform	Groups, many of which are predominantly female, provide opportunities for educating members on various health issues. Saving groups enhance social cohesion beyond health.	Members are not health experts, making the group vulnerable to misinformation. They often exclude the most vulnerable.	There is a need to provide information and education materials to groups. Invite health expert to educate in some sessions or incorporate a VHT in each group.