Economic Empowerment

Household economic empowerment activities help create the critical financial cushion vulnerable households need to survive disasters. Access to small cash infusions through savings and lending programs, and cash transfers coupled with basic financial education can make the difference between worsening poverty during crises and the ability of households to financially respond to hardships without long-term negative consequences.

More resilient households translate into healthier children. When caregivers have the resources to meet their families’ needs, everyone benefits: Meals increase, children stay in school, and family dynamics improve. When adults are less stressed, they can better meet the emotional and financial needs of the children in their care.

EYDI Family Economic Empowerment consists of interventions to reduce the economic vulnerability of families and empower them to provide for the essential needs of the children they care for, rather than relying on external assistance for example. Family economic strengthening programs are in 3 complementary approaches; family Economic Strengthening, social Protection and targeting entities other than families for example children, service providers, CBOs and NGOs that aim for various sustainability strategies.

Poverty fuels the domestic violence, Diseases and unsafe sexual behaviors that can lead to increased poverty at both the micro and macro level. The economic impact of HIV can be seen at multiple levels, including the National/Government level, the community level and the family level:

Hon. R. Senninde – Min. of state for Primary Education officiated at an EYDI graduation ceremony for ICT Trainees in August 2015 at ICT Training Facility in Kiwenda.

National and regional – HIV and AIDS increases poverty at national level. This is seen in falling gross domestic product (GDP) and slower rises in human development index (HDI), Community – HIV and AIDS fuels community poverty and severely strains community safety nets and community coping mechanisms, Family and Family- Families affected by HIV and AIDS may have increased expenses for health care, caring for the sick, and caring for additional orphaned and vulnerable children. Increased expenses and reduced time for economic activities, such as farming and trading, may deplete the family’s income and assets, Private sector – HIV and AIDS can affect private companies by affecting the most productive workers and reducing the workforce. Health insurance, increased rates of absenteeism, and costs of training new staff all increase private sector costs, Savings schemes may be one of the most critical elements of helping families out of poverty and empowering them to care for their own needs through diverse livelihood strategies, Savings and credit schemes can strengthen financial safety nets and help families with issues of cash flow, supporting families to develop more profitable or diverse income sources to better cope with the loss of an income earner, Training and capacity building may help families develop skills such as money management, savings self-reliance, improved self-esteem and increased status in the community, Economic empowerment strengthening activities generate money that helps families care for their children by increasing food security, access to school and access to essential health services. EYDI Activities and key messages;

• Emphasize a family-centered approachto FES that supports the family to progress through the vulnerability cycle. It is critical to assess family readiness and be clear about when and for whom IGA promotion is appropriate, This enables the families to understand economic vulnerabilities, livelihoods and coping strategies of target populations and segment target groups, as appropriate.
• Empower families to provide for the essential needs of childrenby Promoting money-management interventions for savings, access to consumer credit, and encouraging improved family financial management 2. Integrating FES activities with parenting skills training and other supportive programs 3. Using low-risk FES activities to diversify and stimulate Family income growth.
• Formation of Village and School Saving Association; we mobilize local communities depending on factors influenced by the community, such as market links, community skills, and levels of family readiness or capacity in advocating and mobilizing community support and resources and strengthening networking opportunities for formation of village savings and Loan association with enough community savings and loans as appropriate. A Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) is a group of people who save together and take small loans from those savings. The activities of the group run in cycles of one year, after which the accumulated savings and the loan profits are distributed back to members. The purpose of a VSLA is to provide simple savings and loan facilities in a community that does not have easy access to formal financial services.

• Engage partners with expertise in economic empowerment and strong skills in business, enterprise development through partnerships with specialist financial institutions which are more effective, and link with government systems are crucial for longer term sustainability,
• Address stigmaas a possible barrier to success for survivors of violence and HIV/AIDS-affected families. Addressing stigma, discrimination and the rights of people living with HIV are crucial to supporting program success and to ensuring that the most vulnerable benefit from economic strengthening,
• Develop gender-sensitive programsand include a strong gender perspective, targeting adolescent girls and women who are particularly vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and the economic impact of HIV/AIDS,
• Conduct market assessmentsto guide vocational training opportunities for youth and ensure that opportunities show evidence of a clear pathway to employment. Link youth and families to microcredit or other Host Government initiatives to receive loans or equipment to start up IGAs.
• Use a child lensand a rights-based approach, recognizing that activities do not automatically benefit children and may put them at greater risk for exploitation and abuse or cause them to withdraw from education to focus on work. Programs must be child-sensitive when engaging vulnerable children and families in economic strengthening activities and document, evaluate and cost