Graduation out of Extreme Poverty Made Inclusive by HI Bangladesh!

1. GRADUATION OUT OF EXTREME POVERTY Made nowInclusive by HI Bangladesh!

2. BACKGROUND & CONTEXT

3. SPECTRUM OF POOR PEOPLE Profile & Type of intervention Social Protection/ Graduation Projects (HI Bangladesh) Livelihood & Microfinance Development Projects POVERTY LINE Ultra- poor Extreme Poor Moderate Poor Vulnerable Non-Poor Non- Poor Wealthy Promote better livelihoods creating ladders Provide to stabilize

4. TARGETING - PROFILE OF EXTREME POOR PEOPLE International extreme poverty threshold: <1.25USD/day/person (PPP) OR those identified as the poorest within their community. They generally must prioritize meeting immediate consumption needs over investments in livelihood development, limiting their opportunities to break the cycle of (extreme) poverty.  • Chronically food insecure = they can barely meet their minimum survival needs (subsistence living) • Majority of income spent on food • Negative food copying strategies • Limited food diversity • Insufficient and irregular income: • Little or no ownership of land, income generating productive assets (e.g. livestock) or housing • Informal and unreliable poorly paid work opportunities (e.g. seasonal day labourer, beggar, domestic servant, etc.) • Children of school-going age taking up paid work • Limited savings • Limited education & skills • Social and geographic isolations • Poor social network (e.g. bonded labour), social marginalization (caste, ethnic, gender, disability, etc.) • Living in economically depressed areas where local markets are extremely limited, e.g. remote rural areas in poorer regions • High vulnerability to internal/external shocks • Health issues • Natural hazards (disaster-prone areas)

8. KEY GRADUATION CRITERIA Graduation occurs when households achieve economic and social advancement measured by several criteria. Criteria vary given the social and geographic context of the programme. • Stabilized and diversifiedincome sources • Increase in productive assets • Increase in formal and informalsavings • Food security (no or limitednegativefoodcopyingstrategies, fooddiversity, foodreserves) • Improvedaccess to healthcare • Use of sanitary latrine and clean drinking water • Increased self-confidence and plan for the future

9. II. DISABILITY-INCLUSIVE GRADUATION In rural settings

10. HI Bangladesh - Target areas Rangpur Division (Phase 2) Chittagong Division (Phase 1 & 2)

11. Targeting – 2 units of selection1) Households including people with disabilities (child/adult) living in extreme poverty 2) Non-extreme poor households with a member with disability living in extreme poor conditions2 units of intervention (dual goals of poverty alleviation and empowerment of people with disabilities) 1)Household with a focus on 2)the member(s) with disability(ies) Engage adults with different types of disabilities in training/livelihood activities (not only HH members!), Work environment/tool adaptation. Access to rehabilitation services leading to increased functional autonomy with an impact on livelihood activities Inclusive Provision of personalized support for people with disabilities to play an active role & improve their living conditions (ability to run livelihood activity, self-esteem, participation at family/community level, etc.). Psycho-social support. Link beneficiaries with DPO to facilitate access to government schemes

13. DISABILITY-INCLUSIVE GRADUATION CRITERIA Focus on the member(s) withdisabilities • Improved functional autonomy with an impact on productive activities • Increased self-confidence • Increased participation in family life • Increased participation in community life • Access to hygienic latrine for all, including for HH members with disabilities HI Bangladesh – Disability-inclusive extreme poverty graduation index

14. Adaptations of the BRAC’s Graduation Model to make it disability-inclusive • 2 units of intervention: household living in extreme poor conditions with a focus on the member with disability • Progress towards graduation includes criteria at the level of the individual with disability (e.g. self-confidence, participation in family & social activities, access to accessible hygienic latrine, etc.) • Engage as often as possible with the adult with disability as a project holder • Psycho-social support and counseling • Livelihood Task Adaptation (tool/environment/method) when needed, with the support of the Occupational Therapist • Access to rehabilitation services when needed, leading to increased functional autonomy with a positive impact on livelihood activities • Linkage with Disabled People’s Organizations (DPOs) to facilitate access to government schemes

15. HUMAN RESOURCES • Project Manager in each project site • Livelihood Officers to coordinate the livelihood-related work of the Community Volunteers, in collaboration with Disability Officers • Disability Officers with OT/PT background to coordinate the rehabilitation-related work of the Community Volunteers, in collaboration with Livelihood Officers • Community Volunteers who are the frontline of the project team who work directly with beneficiaries (dealing with livelihood, social support, rehabilitation and social protection) • Accessibility Expert • Psychosocial Counselor to provide psycho-social support to beneficiary households. This is to ensure that the beneficiaries are prepared to engage in livelihood activities which is a significant barrier for people with disabilities.

16. CONCLUSION • We can’t achieve the goal (SDG- 1) by 2030 without considering people with disabilities • The dual goals of empowering individuals with disabilities and reducing poverty at the household level can be achieved through closely linking rehabilitation and livelihood support. • Adaptations have been made to the BRAC graduation model to make it more disability-inclusive • Selecting local community members with disabilities as Community Volunteers is important to establish links with key stakeholders and strengthen relationships within communities • Even if such intervention including people with disabilities cost more compared to traditional graduation program, there is a value for money and costs of exclusion remains higher compared to costs of inclusion in the labour market/livelihood, etc.