Livelihood security in 2007 - Giving people options
In 2007 Concern implemented projects and programmes in the livelihoods sector in 29 countries.
All of our programmes are designed to meet the livelihood security programme objective to relieve the impact and/or reduce the incidence of poverty. We do this by supporting
opportunities to increase livelihood options that lead to real improvements in peoples’ lives over the short and long term.
Outcomes
In our view the main achievements during 2007 were as follows:
- We developed livelihoods programmes in two new countries, Kenya and Nepal.
- A new innovative urban livelihoods programme on urban pavement dwellers was developed in Bangladesh and a programme on Urban Agriculture was developed
in Liberia. - We initiated and organised joint Irish NGO learning and research on the role of
decentralisation in poverty reduction. - The lessons from the cash transfer programme in Malawi were produced and widely disseminated and cited. Strong links were maintained with the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) International advocacy strategies on marginal farmers and social protection were developed and initiated.
- We conducted two Global Livelihoods workshops: one on Natural Resources Management and one on Agriculture in Ethiopia and the UK respectively.
During 2007 we conducted evaluations of seven country programmes in order to ensure
that they were meeting our livelihood programme objectives. Overall the outcomes were
very positive and indicated that programmes were being effectively implemented. They also indicated areas that could be improved, the main ones being the need to:
- adopt partnership models which are appropriate to the specific local context.
- take a holistic approach i.e. look at and engage with wider dynamics not just to respond to immediate needs.
- ensure that in mainstreaming equality we address strategic as well as practical needs.
We will try to build these lessons into ongoing programmes.
