I'm from Asia, here many local communities with 10/20 people arrange/run saving projects and distribute the money when someone need them. Or they draw at the end of a month to pick a name who will take the money. Once a name is picked, he is eliminated for the rest of the year. That's how they work.
You can run/build a project like this with your local community if you like.
I agree with your saving mindset. The power lies in consistency.