Mekelle፡ 11 August 2024 (Tigray Herald)
By Batseba Siefu
Program Design for Tigray: Transitioning from Emergency Aid to Sustainable Livelihoods
This program aims to move vulnerable households in Tigray from emergency cash transfers and food aid toward self-sufficient, diversified livelihoods, following a phased approach. By integrating elements from Somalia’s safety net models, it addresses immediate needs while building resilience, enhancing capabilities, and ensuring long-term sustainability. Key features include a focus on human agency, community resilience, and strengthening government and NGO capacities to deliver targeted, cost-effective programs. The goal is to empower households to “graduate” from dependence on emergency aid by developing dynamic and inherent capabilities.
- Target Population
A. Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
- Focus on IDPs displaced due to conflict in Tigray, especially those in informal settlements.
- Prioritize households that have migrated from rural to urban areas, as they face severe livelihood disruptions.
B. Vulnerable Groups
- Female-Headed Households: These households often face increased financial and social vulnerability, requiring additional support for income generation.
- Persons with Disabilities: Ensure that the program is inclusive and accessible to people with disabilities by tailoring interventions to their specific needs.
- Chronically Poor Households: These are labor-deficit households that may be unable to work or are too vulnerable to participate in traditional livelihood activities. They will need long-term cash transfers with no immediate expectation of transition to employment.
C. Special Consideration for Marginalized Groups
- Include ethnic minorities, youth, and older adults who face heightened vulnerabilities in Tigray.
- Program Objectives
Primary Goals:
- Livelihood Diversification: Equip participants with the skills, resources, and market access needed to diversify their income sources, reducing dependency on emergency aid.
- Graduation and Sustainability: Create clear pathways for households to transition from emergency cash transfers to sustainable livelihoods, ensuring lasting poverty reduction and improved well-being.
- Building Resilience: Strengthen individual, household, and community-level resilience against future shocks, including wars, climate change, and market fluctuations.
Secondary Goals:
- Strengthen Government and NGO Capacity: Build local capacity to implement, monitor, and evaluate safety net programs, ensuring that they are responsive, adaptable, and aligned with broader economic goals.
- Enhance Social Cohesion: Foster stronger ties between IDPs and host communities, building social capital and reducing conflict.
- Program Components
A. Immediate Support Through Cash Transfers
- Emergency Cash Transfers (0-24 Months): Provide immediate financial relief to vulnerable households, helping them meet basic needs (food, shelter, medical care) during the recovery phase. Focus on IDPs, women-headed households, and chronically poor households. Cash transfers are delivered digitally or in cash, depending on access to banking services.
- Long-Term Safety Nets (Beyond 24 Months):
Urban and Semi-Urban Safety Nets: Targeted at households that are transitioning from emergency aid to sustainable livelihoods but require continued support. Households in rural areas can receive agricultural assistance, while those in urban and peri-urban areas are integrated into business or vocational training programs.
B. Livelihood Development Programs: To ensure households can build sustainable livelihoods, the program includes:
- Skill Development and Training
- Foundational Skills: Literacy, numeracy, and basic financial literacy are provided early in the program to ensure participants are ready for more advanced training.
- Technical Training and Vocational Skills: Offer skill-building in agriculture, small-scale manufacturing, and services. Areas of focus include:
- Agriculture and Horticulture: Support for vegetable production, processing, and marketing. Farmers are trained in climate-smart agriculture practices to ensure long-term sustainability and resilience.
- Small Enterprises: Vocational training for urban participants in areas such as carpentry, tailoring, cooking, and food processing. The program includes coaching in entrepreneurship, business management, and marketing skills.
- Digital Skills: Integrate digital literacy into the program to help participants access e-commerce platforms, job opportunities, and financial services.
- Business Incubation and Start-Up Grants
- For households ready to start small businesses, the program offers:
- Start-Up Grants: Financial assistance to launch micro-enterprises, accompanied by mentoring and business advisory services.
- Incubation Services: Access to business incubators, which provide coaching, financial management training, and links to local markets and suppliers.
- Microfinance: Collaborate with local financial institutions to provide small loans to entrepreneurs and business owners, coupled with financial literacy training to ensure responsible use of credit.
- Job Placement and Employment Services
- Establish partnerships with local businesses and industries to place program participants into jobs that align with their skills and training.
- Use digital platforms to match job seekers with employers and facilitate connections between local businesses and vocational graduates.
C. Social Capital and Resilience Building
- Community Cohesion Programs: Foster relationships between displaced persons and host communities through joint economic ventures, shared agricultural projects, and social entrepreneurship initiatives.
- Example: Create cooperatives that allow IDPs and host community members to jointly invest in agricultural production or small enterprises.
- Trauma Counseling and Psychosocial Support:
- Provide counseling services to help participants cope with trauma related to conflict and displacement.
- Offer mentoring programs to build personal resilience and provide emotional and psychological support during the transition from emergency aid.
- Security and Personal Safety Measures:
- Implement programs aimed at improving safety within communities, particularly for women and children, who may face increased risks of domestic violence and exploitation.
- Government and NGO Capacity Building
The success of this program depends on building strong local institutions that can implement and sustain safety net programs.
A. Government Capacity Development
- Training for Local Officials: Provide comprehensive training on program management, monitoring and evaluation, and adaptive governance.
- Digital Solutions for Program Delivery: Strengthen the capacity of government agencies to use digital tools for delivering cash transfers, tracking progress, and linking participants to job markets and social services.
B. Collaboration with NGOs
- Capacity Building for NGOs: Equip local NGOs with the tools, knowledge, and resources to deliver targeted livelihood support and monitor household progress.
- Partnerships with Service Providers: Develop partnerships with NGOs specializing in health, education, and vocational training to deliver services directly to program participants.
- Graduation Strategy and Transition Support
A. Phased Transition (24-36 Months)
The program will follow a phased approach, with regular assessments to determine households’ readiness to transition from cash transfers to self-sufficient livelihoods. Key indicators include:
- Income stability and diversification.
- Ability to meet basic needs without reliance on cash transfers.
- Participation in social and economic networks that provide security.
B. Supporting “Late Improvers” and “Decliners”
- Households that struggle to transition out of cash transfers (“late improvers” and “decliners”) will receive additional support:
- Extended Cash Transfers: Provide continued financial assistance to ensure that households can continue to build capacity.
- Targeted Livelihood Support: Offer tailored support based on specific challenges, such as further vocational training, mentoring, or access to credit.
- Post-Transition Mentoring: Provide follow-up support to help households navigate the early stages of independence, including business advisory services and access to markets.
- Enabling Conditions and System Strengthening
A. Strengthening Market Access and Financial Inclusion
- Microfinance Partnerships: Work with local banks and financial institutions to develop micro-loans and financial literacy programs for participants, helping them manage their finances and access capital for business development.
- Business Development Services: Provide access to market information, networking opportunities, and digital platforms that connect participants to suppliers, customers, and potential employers.
B. Digital Solutions
- Implement digital tools to deliver cash transfers, track program progress, and provide job placement services.
- Use mobile banking platforms to ensure that even participants in remote areas can receive payments and access financial services.
C. Health and Well-Being Services
- Collaborate with local health providers to improve access to physical and mental health services for program participants.
- Ensure that services are readily accessible to vulnerable households, including trauma counseling and mental health support.
- Monitoring and Evaluation
To ensure the program’s effectiveness and cost-efficiency, a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation system will be implemented, focusing on both process and impact indicators.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):
- Transition Rates: The percentage of households that successfully transition from emergency cash transfers to sustainable livelihoods.
- Income and Livelihood Diversification: The number of households that have diversified their income sources.
- Resilience to Shocks: The ability of households to cope with economic, social, and environmental shocks without falling back into poverty.
Evaluation Stages:
- Baseline Assessment: Conducted before the program begins to establish household conditions, capabilities, and vulnerabilities.
- Mid-Term Review: Conducted midway through the program to assess progress, identify bottlenecks, and make necessary adjustments.
- Final Evaluation: Conducted at the end of the program to measure impact, focusing on income improvements, livelihood sustainability, and resilience.
- Strategic Alliances
The program will rely on strong alliances with international donors, local governments, NGOs, financial institutions, and private sector partners to ensure broad-based support and resources for implementation.
