Earning a living from SILC: PSPs in Madagascar

This study was conducted to evaluate the sustainability of CRS’ Savings and Internal Lending Communities (SILC), fee-for-service, Private Service Provider (PSP) model in Madagascar. It builds on two previous studies that looked at PSP earnings and outcomes by employing a comprehensive questionnaire similar to that used by the Expanding Financial Inclusion in Africa (EFI) project’s research team, and applying it to a stratified random sample of 53 PSPs in three regions of the country. The data from the PSP survey was then combined and validated through interviews with local community leaders and 19 focus group discussions with members of 48 SILCs that do and do not pay their PSPs for SILC services. The study data was collected in the context of the Fararano project, a five-year (2014- 2019), Development Food Assistance Program (DFAP) implemented in Madagascar and financed by the United States Agency for International development (USAID).