CHAZ Hands Over Smart Phones to Village Banks

The Churches Health Association of Zambia (CHAZ) has handed over 80 smart phones to Village Banking Groups affiliated to the two (2) facilities; St. Theresa Mission Hospital and Mpongwe Mission Hospital where the Community Based Microfinance Mobile Banking project is being implemented.

It is expected that the mobile phones will enhance the quality of the Village Banks’ (VBs) meetings and enable them to be linked to financial institutions. CHAZ is supporting the CHIs as well as identified agents to facilitate the day-to-day Mobile banking transactions of the Village Banks.

CHAZ has further allocated 10 smart phones to each of the two facilities implementing the project for the identified agents that are being empowered as ZANACO Xpress agents.

CHAZ, working in collaboration with Zanaco, has continued to support Village Banking Groups under the RUFEP funded project. The main goal of the project is to enhance VBs ability to access financial services through the use of mobile platforms. This is expected to contribute to deepening of rural financial inclusion while improving the livelihoods of the target beneficiaries.

CHAZ further managed to help set up St. Theresa Mission Hospital as a ZANACO Xpress Agency point of service as a way of increasing the transactional channels for the target beneficiaries. Additionally, five (5) Field Agents from St. Theresa Mission Hospital have been empowered to be ZANACO Xpress Agents by receiving smart phones to enable them facilitate Agency banking transactions and support the opening of Individual bank accounts for VB members and the general public.