1 / 11

Empowering Ultrapoor Women: Graduation Pilot Project in West Bengal

This project implements a graduation model to empower ultrapoor women in West Bengal, India. Through grant, savings, and training, the program aims to improve livelihoods and resilience of 300 women. The project includes asset transfers, self-help groups, and health education to support economic and social empowerment. The success of the pilot project has led to expansion plans and exploration of randomized control trials.

blumg
Download Presentation

Empowering Ultrapoor Women: Graduation Pilot Project in West Bengal

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Founded in 1979 • Central America, West Africa and India • Livelihoods for ultrapoor families • Traditional Model: grant, savings and training

  2. 2007-2009 • West Bengal, India • 300 ultrapoor women • 86% graduated • 3-year program • Assettransfer & consumptionstipend • Self-help groups • Training & coaching • Healtheducation Graduation Pilot Project Post-pilot 3,350+ enrolled

  3. Program Objectives • Less vulnerable to shocks and trends, and more resilient to the hungry season • Livelihood activities are dignified, diversified, productive and sustainable • Fair and effective means to save and access credit • Increased availability of food • Made significant progress toward economic and social empowerment

  4. Management Tools for the Why & How • MONITORING • Weekly field visits by field worker • Monthly visits by health worker • Weekly SHG meetings • Information books • Savings, livelihood and health data sent monthly to TU • Monthly team meetings to review • EVALUATION • Baseline & endline surveys • Triangulation with monthly monitoring data and mid-term evaluation data • Qualitative profiles at baseline, endline; community portraits • Discrete qualitative assessments

  5. Qualitative Evaluation • Life Histories • 20 women, both strong and weak performers • Key informants • Experiences before, during and after project (30 months) • Identified women’s trajectories and if program changed them • Success Factors • Pre-existing skills/agency • Entrepreneurial • Cooperative male member in household • Experienced few idiosyncratic shocks • Fewer dependents

  6. Turning Lessons into Action • CHANGED SEQUENCE OF PROGRAM INPUTS • SHG is critical—must start immediately after selection • Consumption stipend not always required at beginning of program • Hungry season • Pregnancy • IMPROVED FIELD WORKER PERFORMANCE • Increased educational requirement • More training--40 days • Extensive livelihood planning training developed: • Poverty sensitization • Facilitation skills • Market assessment • Improved information sharing with Coordinator

  7. Change in Assets Baseline End of Project Assets include a basket of ten types of household and productive assets, other assets of significance, and livestock. Does not include land or jewelry. Results are adjusted for inflation and converted at Rs 50=USD 1.

  8. Report being mostly or fully involved in household decision-making related to children's education, healthcare, family planning, housing and finances • “Earlier I used my left hand to make a thumb impression, but now I sign with my right hand.” • “We can go to visit the doctor because we speak Bengali now. We learned Bengali from the staff.” • “I can talk to the goat trader independently. My husband helped me fix prices of goats but nowadays I also have a fair idea about the price of a goat.” ShantiTudu

  9. Next Steps: • Expand and adapt graduation model in all regions • Provide technical assistance to other organizations seeking to reach ultrapoor families • Exploring a Randomized Control Trial to better understand relationship between program components • Consultation process—understand participants’ experience of poverty and enhance clarity on graduation criteria • Innovative research on social networks to understand how (and whether) social networks change through the program and how this could enhance efficiency and scalability of program

More Related