Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) are groups of community members who save together and lend to each other. They are one of the most effective ways for families without bank accounts to build savings and access small loans. Traditionally, everything is recorded on paper.
Sandoog, developed by ACTS, is a mobile application that helps VSLAs keep those records digitally. Today it is used by more than 100 VSLA groups in Blue Nile State.
What Sandoog does
- Record keeping: the group records and monitors its financial procedures and transactions in one place.
- Automatic calculations: Sandoog calculates members’ shares, charges and profits, so nobody has to do the maths by hand.
- Access to finance: it helps groups and individuals access credit, loans and grants from financial institutions, donors or individual lenders.
- Crowdfunding: groups can seek funding from several sources through crowdfunding.
Why digital records matter
Paper ledgers work, but they have limits. They can be lost or damaged, mistakes are hard to spot, and outsiders such as lenders or donors cannot easily see a group’s track record. Digital records make the group’s finances transparent and accurate, and give it a history it can show when asking for support.
From savings to opportunity
The most important feature of Sandoog may be the bridge it builds. A group with clear, reliable records is in a much stronger position to access credit, loans or grants. By connecting groups with financial institutions, donors and individual lenders, Sandoog helps savings groups grow beyond what their members can save on their own.
Part of our financial inclusion work
Sandoog sits alongside our other fintech services: a licence from the Central Bank of Sudan as a Payment Service Provider since 2019, the NOEBS payment gateway, and an agent network in all 18 states.
Supporting savings groups?
If your organisation works with VSLAs or community savings groups in Sudan, Sandoog can help them keep better records and reach more funding. Learn more about Sandoog or contact us.