The development approach is to work through smaller (20-25) community groups popularly known as Village Savings and Loans Associations to initiate rural development actions. WIDO has formed and trained 1,550 VSLA groups that are working successfully in the Maize, soya, cassava, yam and vegetables value chains in the Upper West, Bono East, Bono, Ashanti and Ahafo regions of Ghana. that are directly benefiting over 10,000 rural women 80 percent of whom are women and 10 percent being persons with Disabilities.

Over the past 18 years, WIDO has used the VSLAs as pivot to implement different development projects with many international donors notably; USAID, European Union, Care International and Plan International