“Independent studies of non-State social
protection services in six African countries unanimously conclude that informal systems based on mutual trust often achieve equal or more effective governance than highly regulated operations. Almost entirely without documentation or administrative overhead, mutual help organisations or Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) know what services are most needed, form their own groupings, select their own leaders, decide their own contribution
levels, sanction members, make and
enforce their own rules, prioritise and apply their own budgets, and fully account (face-to-face) to every member for every cent and every action.”
