Livelihoods and Integration

Livelihoods and Durable Solutions Church World Service/IRP 2010 Conference, Miami, Florida June 2, 2010

Objectives 1.Develop an understanding of challenges in implementing economic programs in contexts of displacement and early return. 2.Develop awareness of how economic programs serving the conflict-affected can be improved. 3.Identify linkages and application in U.S. resettlement context.

Livelihoods: What is it?  Comprises the capacities, assets and activities required to make a living.  When is a livelihood sustainable?  When it can cope with and recover from stress and shocks, maintain or enhance its capabilities and assets, and provide livelihood opportunities for the next generation.

Aim of Livelihoods Initiative  Transform livelihood interventions to improve quality and effectiveness  Promote strategic, comprehensive approaches based on individual needs  Include gender lens on livelihood approaches  Promote strategies that are market-driven, build on skills & lead to sustainable income

Consultations with Refugees “We want jobs” “We want programs that lead to work” “We need to make money”

3 year research project  Focus: identify what is happening, what are the gaps, what is needed to improve practice Methodology  10 field assessments  Global research  Funded 7 pilot projects  Advisory committee

San Diego ColombiaLiberia Sudan Kenya Ethiopia Thailand Malaysia Egypt Nepal

Problems with Current Approaches  Displacement is viewed as temporary  Existing skills and life experience are seldom capitalized on  Market demand and economic context are little understood  Little understanding of livelihoods as a tool of protection

 Conflict destroys livelihoods and forces people to adopt new strategies to support themselves  Enforced dependency / the administration of misery*  Desperation often leads to adoption of negative economic coping strategies that can increase exposure to GBV  Selling and bartering food rations and other humanitarian assistance becomes a vital component of a refugee’s livelihoods strategy  Lack of access to a means of livelihoods creates the conditions for GBV* Consequences of Unsustainable Livelihoods

Continued Consequences  Waste of potential & erosion of skills  Little opportunity to pass on livelihood to children  Trainings don’t lead to jobs  Programs don’t result in sustainable income  Displaced remain dependent on food aid & humanitarian assistance  Unprepared for “durable solution”

Assumptions  Economic opportunities have many positive roll- on effects  When women have income they are safer  When households have income their children are more likely to be in school, to be accessing health care, and are better fed

Challenges Confronting Current Livelihood Programs  Capitalizing on existing skills and life experience  Understanding market demand and economic context – opportunities, barriers and constraints  Building capacity and expertise to design and implement programs  Lack of an evidence base about what works and why  Host government policies  Identifying and preparing people for emerging markets

Improving Practice

Conceptual Framework

Livelihoods Analysis

Livelihoods assets Financial Capital Natural Capital Social Capital Physical Capital Human Capital Conflict-Affected

Human Capital Health Nutrition Education Knowledge and skills Capacity to work Capacity to adapt

Natural Capital Land and produce Water & aquatic resources Trees and forest products Wildlife Wild foods & fibres Biodiversity Environmental services

Social Capital Networks and connections opatronage oneighbourhoods okinship Relations of trust and mutual support Formal and informal groups Common rules and sanctions Collective representation Mechanisms for participation in decision-making Leadership

Physical Capital Infrastructure transport - roads, vehicles, etc. secure shelter & buildings water supply & sanitation energy communications Tools and techology tools and equipment for production seed, fertiliser, pesticides traditional technology

Financial Capital Savings Credit/debt - formal, informal, NGOs Remittances Pensions Wages

Human capital labour capacity/ physical strength elementary school education limited skills Natural capital landless Financial capital low wages no access to credit No access to safe savings Physical capital poor water supply poor housing limited electricity Social capital low social status doesn’t belong to clubs or groups strong links with family & friends = an extremely reduced “livelihood pentagon” Out-of-school male youth: Day Laborer Financial Capital Social Capital Physical Capital Human Capital Natural Capital

Steps  Situation Analysis – Participatory Needs Assessment – Conflict Analysis  Market Analysis  Market Assessment  Labor Market Assessment  Value Chain Analysis  Organizational Capacity Assessment

Situation Analysis The process of assessing a complex situation within its wider context, systematically gathering information, identifying the main problems and needs within a population, identifying the principle resources contained within that population, and analyzing the information gathered in order to facilitate the process of planning in a systematic, strategic and integrated manner.

Situation Analysis Goal: Assessment of the situation – Identify the main needs, problems and resources. – Assess the impact of the conflict (conflict analysis). – Identify and consult the different stakeholders. – Consult the target population (participatory needs assessment). – Consult existing secondary information sources.

Conflict Analysis Goal: Understand the way in which conflict impacts livelihoods and longer term sustainability. Conflict analysis entails assessing whether a program may perpetuate or renew the conflict

Participatory Needs Assessments Goal: Identify the livelihoods priorities of beneficiaries and of the surrounding community. Identify existing skills, experience and resources Inform the beneficiary group about the opportunities available.

The market analysis process involves conducting: 1)a market assessment; 2)a labor market assessment; and 3)value chain analysis

Market Assessment Market assessments identify supply and demand for goods and services, the viability of occupations and enterprises, and market capacities and trends in the local community.

Questions to include in a market assessment are: What priority goods and services are available? Which goods are bought most often? How has conflict affected the availability and the purchase of these goods? Where do people buy goods? How many buyers are there in a market compared to sellers? Are wholesalers and traders able to respond to an increase in demand for their goods? What are the government policies and restrictions that affect the market economy? What is the rate of inflation?

Programs must look at barriers to market access. Assessing the barriers that prevent a population from accessing a market is imperative to the success of an intervention

Labor Market Assessment

Value Chain Analysis Is a market analysis tool used to assess how products gain value as they pass through the range of activities needed to bring a product to market.

Conducting a value chain analysis is important for assessing how to add value to products and strengthen linkages with markets Value chains look at the life cycle of a product for initial production through the chain of events and actors (including suppliers, manufacturers, traders) to final markets

Mapping the value chain: Clarifies market actors Defines relationships among suppliers, producers, and consumers Enables practitioners to identify the most appropriate livelihoods intervention based on where the value chain can be strengthened

A sample value chain INPUTS (tools, equipment, labor, capital, training and technical assistance) PRODUCTION (using inputs to produce or process goods to add value) TRANSPORTATION/DISTRIBUTION (transporting goods to buyers or distributors) TRADE/MARKET ACCESS (getting finished product(s) to local, national, regional and international end markets)

Organizational Capacity Assessment Assess: Governance Management Practices Finance Technical/Service Delivery Sustainability

Chapters Covering Direct Interventions  Training and placement  Cash- and food-for-work programming  Building in-camp economies

Chapters Covering Direct Interventions  Supporting agrarian interventions  Micro-finance  Enterprise development

Chapters Covering Related Issues  Working with host governments  Public-private partnerships  Leveraging remittances

Tools and Approaches  Situation analysis  Conflict analysis  Participatory needs assessment  Market assessment  Organizational capacity assessment  Monitoring and evaluation

3 Questions You Should Ask 1.How does your program identify and build on target beneficiaries’ skills, experience and current economic coping strategies? 2.How does your program link to market opportunities and address market barriers? 3.How do you measure program impact?

Dale Buscher, Director of Protection Women’s Refugee Commission skype.dale.buscher Download the Livelihoods Manual at:

PHASE ONE CWS compilation of internal knowledge and white paper draft UC-Berkeley student research team project

PHASE TWO – NEXT STEPS

How would the concept of livelihoods developed for use overseas be applicable in the US?

Would a prospect of employment upon resettlement have influence on the type and structure of livelihoods programs overseas?

Could the focus of livelihoods/employment programs domestically be amended to focus more on the strengths of the programs overseas?

How would the expanded livelihood opportunities in the US affect the diasporic identity and the value of remittances sent back to the country of first asylum/origin?

What impact and connection could there be between the programs on both sides of the resettlement process?

How would expanded livelihood opportunities affect refugee integration in the US?