Groups and centers

WhereClient groups · Centers

WhoLoan officers, branch managers

Group lending organises members into small groups that guarantee each other, and groups into centers that meet on a fixed day. Loans can be issued to a member who belongs to a group, or to the group itself.

Create a group

Open Client groups and click Add.
Enter the group name, branch and the group’s loan officer.
Optionally enter an external ID (e.g. the group’s registration number with the ministry) and an account number.
Set the submitted on date and add the member(s).
Save, then activate the group when it is ready to borrow.

Field	Required	What it means
Name	required	Group name, e.g. “Upendo Women Group”.
Branch	required	The branch that serves the group.
Group officer	required	Loan officer responsible for the group.
External ID / account number	optional	Your own references for the group.
Submitted on	required	Date the group was formed or registered with you.
Members	required	The members belonging to the group.

Create a center

A center groups several groups that meet together, usually weekly. Collections for all its groups happen at the center meeting.

Field	Required	What it means
Name, branch, center officer	required	Who runs the center and where.
Groups	required	Groups that attend this center.
Submitted on	required	Date the center was formed.

Meetings

Schedule center or group meetings with a title, agenda, start and end date and time. Meetings can be all-day and recurring — repeat every N days, weeks or months, on chosen days of the week — so the calendar always shows the next collection day.

Chama contribution cycles

For chamas and merry-go-round groups, Zung runs contribution cycles: each cycle collects members’ contributions, pays out to the member whose turn it is, then starts the next cycle. Members get reminders for contributions, meetings and their payout turn.

Tip

Print the collection sheet before each meeting: it lists every member’s amount due, so the officer collects and posts in one pass.