This review of different approaches to and tools for economic strengthening was prepared by Hugh Allen and was done in response to the priority tasks identified by the CYES Network. The paper contains a summary and analysis of the status of the literature and reviews on economic strengthening and livelihood tools, as well as recommendations of best practices and guidelines on which tools work.
This HPG Working Paper draws heavily on a review of the Danish Refugee Council's (DRC) work on livelihoods and protection in the Zalingei corridor in eastern West Darfur. It focuses in particular on threats to physical safety, freedom of movement and access to adequate means of subsistence, and their resulting impacts on people's livelihoods and protection.
Section 4.3 of the working paper outlines lessons learned from the DRC's programming activities, which include vocational and recreational training with youth.
This training manual details how to set up and run a Junior Farmer Field and Life Schools (JFFLS) programme. The programmes are designed to empower orphans and other vulnerable children aged 12 to 18 years who live in communities where HIV/AIDS has had a strong impact on food security. This Getting Started manual comprises two parts. The first part provides background information on the JFFLS approach, its origins and guiding principles. The second part describes how to initiate and manage a JFFLS. This part is divided into nine chapters, each representing a step that needs to be taken to implement a school.
The manual incorporates experience from people working with orphaned and vulnerable children living in areas with high HIV prevalence levels in Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The manual is generic and is meant to be used in different regions of the world. It can be adapted for use in areas where HIV prevalence is still very low but children are made vulnerable by extreme poverty, trafficking and conflict.
This publication highlights initiatives that are using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to make a real and meaningful difference in communities around the world, no matter how disadvantaged or isolated they may be. These stories on Youth, Poverty and Gender intend to provide snapshots of the learning process that accompanies the introduction and implementation of ICTs in a community development project.
In sharing experiences and lessons learned, the goal of the publication is to increase global understanding of how ICTs can be used to address poverty, injustice and inequalities.
This resource kit captures over 10 years of work by IPEC and its partners and makes the Programme’s experiences and knowledge available to those who design, implement and improve policy and programming to fight child trafficking.
The resource kit is composed of five separate but interrelated books that cover a range of themes, including: understanding child trafficking, research and knowledge base, building legal and policy frameworks, mobilisation and building partnerships, taking action against child trafficking, and the processes that may contribute to effective remedial action. Accompanying the texts are more than 150 resources comprising publications, ‘how-to’ manuals, guidelines and copies of relevant international instruments and protocols.
Book 4: "Taking Action on Child Trafficking" provides guidance and ILO resources for engaging in anti-trafficking work through economic strengthening interventions aimed at youth and caregivers.
On Friday, December 12th, WNCAC will hold a discussion on Child Soldiers and Small Arms with guest speakers Rachel Stohl, Senior Technical Analyst at the Center for Defense Information and small arms specialist; and Jimmie Briggs, journalist and author of Innocents Lost: When Child Soldiers Go To War, whose current work focuses on violence against women in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The event will take place at at Search for Common Ground (4th Floor Conference Room, 1601 Connecticut Ave. NW) from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. RSVP to wncac@sfcg.org if you would like to attend.
Mobilising Children & Youth into Their Own Child- & Youth-led Organisations examines how child-led associations can develop social awareness and organisational skills of children. The book empowers children by giving them a voice in their own affairs and can be especially powerful in advocacy efforts. In contrast to individual and even group-based counseling based approaches, this approach has the potential to reach significant numbers of children and youth.
Economic Strengthening Topics
Topic 5 on Economic Strengthening outlines the effect of economic strengthening activities on children’s psychosocial well being and outlines some key considerations for organizations engaging in financial activities with youth and children. Topic 8 on Agriculture discusses some of the activities children and youth can engage in effectively to support themselves and build or retain agricultural skills despite the loss of caregivers.
