May Email
Update
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Contents
Hot
Topics
Food
Security and Social Protection
Community
Led Total Sanitation
Agriculture
Migration
ICT
for Development
Lessons
Organisational
Links
Events
and Training
Tools
Post-Its
Vacancies
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Issue
No 91, May 2008
Our monthly update is to keep you informed
of developments in the area of sustainable livelihoods.
This
month’s Email Update will focus on the theme of Microfinance
and its potential in providing sustainable livelihoods.
We
have grown through the contributions of our members. As ever,
we welcome your suggestions on themes to explore for future Email
Updates. Please send your news, views, reports and experiences
to: livelihoods-connect@ids.ac.uk
Key
Documents
Microfinance
for Urban Poverty Reduction
Linda Mayoux, Margaret Jiri, Marinela Cerqueira (2002)
This
paper argues that unless microfinance has a strategic vision for
poverty reduction, it risks shifting the costs of development
onto poor people, particularly women, by increasing their burdens
and vulnerabilities. Therefore gender awareness needs to be integrated
into microfinance initiatives.
Market
Development in Crisis-Affected Environments
SEEP Network Market Development Working Group (2007)
The
document looks at how people move from relief dependency to independent
livelihoods security through a market development approach. Analysing
cases from areas affected by conflict and natural disaster, it
argues that market-led approaches speed up reconstruction.
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| Hot
Topic |
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| Food
Security and Social Protection |
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| Indigenous
and Traditional Peoples and Climate Change: Issues Paper
Marginal groups most vulnerable to climate
change have developed successful coping strategies through their
experiences. However, the magnitude of future hazards may exceed
this capacity. This paper discusses existing strategies and identifies
further opportunities in high risk areas.
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Building
Consensus for Social Protection: Insights from Ethiopia’s
Productive Safety Net Programme
Social protection is necessary for addressing
vulnerabilities. This paper examines Ethiopia’s Productive
Safety Net Programme, its origins, functions and capacity to alleviate
poverty. Furthermore, it looks at the lessons we can learn from
this scheme for other parts of Africa.
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Social
Protection for the Poor and Poorest in Developing Countries: Reflections
on a Quiet Revolution
The
quiet revolution referred to is the expansion of social protection
in developing economies. There is a need to take the discussion
to the next level: scaling up. The paper discusses these prospects,
and identifies political obstacles, bottlenecks and roles for
external actors.
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Risk
Management for the Poor and Vulnerable
Due
to their lack of formal access, the poor rely on informal mechanisms
of risk management, such as family and other social networks. As
this is often inadequate, the paper argues for the expansion of
savings, credit and insurance through microfinance.
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| Hot
Topic |
| Community
Led Total Sanitation |
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Handbook
on Community Led Total Sanitation
Plan
UK has recently launched a handbook on Community Led Total Sanitation
to enable communities to analyse their sanitation conditions and
collectively understand the impact of open defecation on public
health and environment.
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WaSH-AcSearch
January-March issue and Special Edition
This
is Plan Ethiopia’s quarterly newsletter on action research
for scaling up community-managed water supply, sanitation and hygiene.
The special edition, a separate paper, focuses on CLTS in Jimma
in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. |
CLTS
Luring the Ministry of Health of Ethiopia
Areas
where Plan Ethiopia has introduced CLTS are attracting interest
from the Federal Ministry of Health of Ethiopia. They have observed
people in kebeles constructing pit latrines of different types,
with slab and covers, superstructures, and hand washing facilities.
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| Hot
Topic |
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| Agriculture |
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Microfinance
for Protecting the Vulnerable in Rural Uzbekistan
This paper provides microfinance practitioners
a market research framework to develop risk management financial
services for vulnerable populations. This is done through a case
study of the vulnerable physical, financial, social and human factors
in rural Uzbekistan.
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The
Vulnerability of Self-Help: Women and Microfinance in South India
This paper looks at power asymmetries in
the relationship between self-help groups, state institutions
and banks in providing access to credit. It then focuses on vulnerable
groups, particularly women, and how their self-help groups are
prevented from access within this structure.
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Making
Agricultural Market Systems Work for the Poor
Markets provide an important mechanism for
economic exchange. This paper argues that to promote pro-poor growth,
the poor need to be granted favourable market access; and effective
governmental agencies and civil society organisations are required
to channel this exchange.
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| Hot
Topic |
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| Migration |
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Microcredit,
Risk Coping and the Incidence of Rural-Urban Migration
The paper focuses on the rural poor of South
Asia and how they cope with seasonal unemployment. Ahsan argues
that microfinance, alongside traditional coping strategies, can
help not only mitigate risk to vulnerable people by diversifying
to asset bases, but also prevent seasonal migration.
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| Hot
Topic |
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| Information
Communication and Technology for Development (ICT4D) |
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| Using
ICT in Capacity Building for Poverty Reduction in Asia: Lessons
from a Microfinance Training Course
This
paper looks at ICT in capacity building through the Microfinance
Training of Trainers course, a pro-poor distance learning programme.
The paper provides an evaluative framework based on: improving
access to ICT, building on existing technologies and long-term
institutional building.
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Enabling
Rural Banking through Technology
ICT
can enable the delivery of rural banking to the poor. The paper
suggests a framework for doing this in a financially viable and
sustainable manner. Identifying and incorporating the major issues,
it builds a model for establishing a rural information infrastructure.
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| Lessons
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Non
Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) A Livelihoods Option for Rural
Populations: A Case Study from the Aravali Hills of Rajasthan,
India
NTFPs
are, in many cases, the only means of survival for tribal groups
in Rajasthan. Therefore there is a need to make an assessment
of availability and potential of NTFPs in the Aravali hills, and
to quantify the value of these products to make a sound and ecologically
viable policy.
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The
Sustainable Livelihoods Approach and Community Development in
Practice in Engineering Organisations
This
Master’s thesis explores the limitations and challenges
to a grassroots engineering organisation in the use of the sustainable
livelihoods approach. Through a case study from Nepal, the author
looks at the challenges of learning capacity, imbalances of power
and development of a bottom-up initiative.
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FAO
– Updated
The
Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development (SARD) initiative
is a multi-stakeholder umbrella framework that engages civil society,
governments and intergovernmental organizations in a joint effort
to make rapid progress toward achievement of the Agenda 21 vision
for SARD. The policy briefs are now available.
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| Events
and Training |
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Capacity
Building and Sustainable Livelihoods in Development
IMA’s
training services include scheduled courses delivered regularly
at venues around the world. They also deliver a tailor-made Sustainable
Livelihoods course to meet individual and organisational goals.
Date:
See Programme Details
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Executive
Microfinance Training for Development Professionals
Hosted
by IDS, this program will focus on the corner stone elements of
microfinance: the basic principles of sustainability and the best
practices of integrated microfinance initiatives. Date:
1 – 5 September 2008
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Training
Programmes on Market Research for Microfinance Institutions
Sambodhi’s
training covers inclusive monitoring and evaluation, data analysis
and research methods. On each of these, the training can be taken
in general terms or from a specific sustainable livelihoods angle.
Date: 4 – 6 June 2008 |
Asia-Pacific
Regional Microcredit Summit 2008
This
event brings together practitioners, academics, donors, financial
institutions, NGOs and others involved with microcredit to promote
best practices in the field and to stimulate exchange. Date:
28 – 30 June 2008
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| Tools |
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Livelihood
Assessment Tool-Kit (LAT) and Initial Livelihood Impact Appraisal
(ILIA)
LAT is a joint effort between FAO and
the ILO. LAT gives information on peoples’ abilities to make
a living after natural disasters. The ILIA guidelines are aimed
at all those who would normally be expected to participate in post-disaster
needs assessments at the country level. |
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| Post-Its |
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Call
for Articles: Empowerment and Social Inclusion
LEISA
refers to viable small scale farming, a major part of rural livelihoods.
LEISA is about finding technical and social options for farmers
who seek to improve productivity and income in an ecologically sound
way. Papers are welcome around these themes and more.
Deadline for Applications: 1 June 2008
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Role
of Microfinance in Reducing Poverty and Vulnerability (Imp-Act)
Focusing exclusively on matters of efficiency
may lead to the exclusion of the most vulnerable members of society.
Through Social Performance Management (SPM), Imp-Act emphasises
inclusive social objectives for the betterment of peoples’
livelihoods. |
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| Vacancies |
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| Livelihoods
Advisor: Concern Worldwide, Kenya and Sudan
The
appointee, for either of these positions, will support the implementation
of the respective livelihoods programme. They will participate
in assessments and relevant research on climate change for the
position in Kenya and on the livelihoods security context for
the Sudan role.
Kenya
Deadline: 23 June 2008 Kenya
Link
Sudan
Deadline: 30 June 2008 Sudan
Link
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| About
Livelihoods Connect |
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The
Livelihoods Network is a global list of practitioners, researchers
and policy makers interested specifically in sustainable livelihoods.
It invites members to share thoughts and experiences and develop
their ideas around Livelihoods Approaches by networking through
our email discussion list and participating at an annual face to
face workshop. |
The
purpose of Livelihoods Connect is to facilitate the practical
implementation of sustainable livelihoods approaches. Visit Livelihoods
Connect on the web at: http://www.livelihoods.org/index.html
Comments
on Livelihoods Connect are welcomed by the Livelihoods Connect
Manager, Helen Schneider at:
Email:
livelihoods-connect@ids.ac.uk
Tel: +44(0)1273 878 351
Fax: +44(0)1273 621 202
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Email Update is currently distributed to nearly 4,000 subscribers
including: practitioners, policy makers, consultants and researchers
within organisations such as DFID, FAO, IFAD, World Bank, UNDP,
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(c)
IDS May 2008
Livelihoods
Connect
Institute of Development Studies
at the University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9RE, UK
IDS, a charitable company limited by guarantee: Registered Charity
No. 306371; Registered |
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