Table 3 Key changes made to the programme and reasons for the changes

VHT component

Supervision only by health workers

Supervision by super VHTs as well

Promote sustainability of the component since health workers are few and busy

Dialogue meetings

Dialogue tools long and lengthy

Dialogue tools revised to make them shorter more focused

Feedback from VHT’s that tools were complicated

Meetings conducted at village level, with a large group of participants making dialogue impossible

Meetings conducted in saving groups

To promote sustainability of the meetings after the project by using an existing group that convenes regularly and to promote dialogue

Savings and transport

Minimal involvement of CDOs

Increased involvement of CDOs to provide regular support to the saving groups through training and supervision

Feedback during review meetings showed that households were not saving and linkages with transporters were not being formed

No facilitation planned for CDOs since the support is part of their regular work

Facilitation for CDOs to allow them to visit the groups and to provide the necessary support

Feedback from CDOs that they were not doing the expected work because they lacked facilitation

No linkage with other income generating groups

CDOs were encouraged to work with other existing income generating groups in the district to leverage existing resources

Feedback about the groups accumulating a lot of savings which was now redundant and likely to be stolen

Fears about money being stolen

Low incomes given as a reason for not saving