As part of our work in Peru with the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program JUNTOS, the Bank of the Nation, Agro Rural and the Technical Secretariat of the Office of the President of the Council of Ministers’ Inter-Ministerial Commission on Social Affairs, we seek to integrate the beneficiaries of the CCT program into the financial system.

Since October 2009, raffles of food baskets (incentives) have been held in the districts of Coporaque and San Jerónimo, where the pilot project, “Promoting savings with beneficiaries of JUNTOS,” is under way. This responds to our goal of accompanying sectors of the population in implementing models to include poor people in the financial system and help them gain access to capital by opening and periodically using savings accounts. These experiences will make it possible to perfect public policies for combating poverty and exclusion.

This video shows the awards ceremony in mid-February 2010 in the district of Coporaque. Women from throughout the district attended the event in the main plaza, which gave them an incentive to keep saving.

The video also presents testimonials from women who began saving as part of the pilot project. The women stress that “saving is progress,” describe how their consumption has improved, and talk about how their savings have changed their lives.

The facilitators invite women to participate by joining savings groups. They explain the procedures and requirements for opening savings accounts, providing an incentive by describing groups of savers who are using savings accounts and have established direct ties with Rural Savings and Loan Associations.