## F. INFORMAL ASSOCIATIONS

To explore a possible base for insurance systems in existing informal savings associations, a Zairian sociologist conducted interviews with 50 members from 17 associations. Fourteen of the associatioas were located in Kinshasa, while three were in Bwamanda. The sociologist also drew on her previous research and publications on "likelemba" and "moziki" associations, conducted for the Department of Women's Condition (21).

Likelemba associations are strictly rotating savings clubs, where members contribute a set amount at a set time interval, with one member receiving the pool at each collection interval. For example, in a likelemba with ten members, each contributing 1,000 Zaires per month, the "savings pool" is 10,000 Zaires, which will go to a different member each month. The members of a likelemba association do not need to meet each time the collection takes place; usually one person is assigned the task of collecting the members' contributions and distributing the pool to the recipient. There are no provisions for paying interest or 'bidding" to obtain a more favorable (earlier) place in the cycle as occurs with Wang shares in Thailand; however, people who received the savings pool early during the first cycle move to the end for the second cycle.

Moziki associations have the same structure of a rotating savings club and add two additional featurcs. First, moziki members get together for a social gathering at the time the collection is made. Members make regular contributions toward the refreshments for this gathering. Second, the moziki associations often include an emergency loan fund ("caisse de secours"). Members contribute a fixed amount to this emergency fund each time they get together. If a member is in difficulty and needs to raise a large sum of cash quickly, he or she can request a loan from the emergency fund, repayable usually within I to 2 months, without interest. At the end of the moziki cycle (i.e. when each member has had a turn to receive the money from the savings pool), the emergency loan fund is divided up and redistributed evenly to all members.

As an indication of the frequency of such associations, an administrative census in Bokoro town identified 12 likelemba or moziki which have over 1,000 registered members. Another association in Kempa (12 km from Bokoro) counts 100 members. Of these 13 associations, 8 made payments for hospitalization.

Eleven likelemba associations and six moziki associations were surveyed. The general characteristics of the associations are discussed below.

# 1. Size and Membership

The associations ranged in size from 4 to 20 members, with an average size of 10 members. The likelemba were slightly smaller than the moziki associations. In about half of the associations all members were of the same sex. In both types of associations, 65-68% of members were female.

Members represented a range of occupations: ;nerchants and traders, food sellers, salaried workers, teachers, government employees, housewives, and some "family' associations (including members of the same family). Six of the associations regrouped people with the same occupation or employer. More than occupation, trust and rapport among members, as well as a similar ability and willingness to save, seemed most important to the success of an association.

# 2. Contributions

Frequency of contributions and meetings ranged from every two days to once a month, with members contributing from 1,000 Z ($2.33) to 100,000 Zaires ($232.50). Comparing equivalent monthly contributions, the average contribution for the 17 associations studied was 20,600 Z

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