As discussed in this CYES Network expert post, the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach and the Value Chain Approach are both tools available to development practitioners seeking to improve the economic situation and overall well-being of youth, though proponents of each methodology have tended to not understand the benefits of the other. In February 2009, the CYES Network and the Washington Network for Children in Armed Conflict continued this discussion, in an event addressing how these two approaches might be of use in promoting youth employment in crisis-affected areas. At the event, Radha Rajkotia of IRC and Jason Wolfe of USAID gave the following presentations on, respectively, the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach and the Value Chain Approach.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| WNCAC-Feb09-SustainableLivelihoods.pdf | 6.96 MB |
| WNCAC-Feb09-ValueChains.pdf | 411.47 KB |
The STRIVE Mozambique project aims to improve child well-being in Nampula Province, which has the highest level of food insecurity in the country. An alarming 63% of children in the province are chronically undernourished. The factors contributing to food insecurity in Nampula include lack of and limited access to food, poor food utilization and vulnerability in the form of economic, health and market shocks. Save the Children is addressing the issues of access to food and vulnerability by targeting individuals in households - particularly women with children under the age of 5, who face the highest risks of food insecurity - with interventions that increase household income and social capital.
By mobilizing, training and mentoring village savings and loan (VSL) groups, STRIVE Mozambique provides a mechanism for asset building, income generation and risk mitigation. VSL participation enables women to purchase more or better foods, invest in better income earning strategies and/or enter into and expand participation in agriculture value chains that increase their earning potential. The VSL groups, along with the community support networks formed under rotating labor schemes (called the Ajuda Mútua) that Save the Children is promoting in Nampula, will create a stronger social capital base for households, increasing their resilience to shocks.
Working in concert with an on-going food security project in the province, STRIVE Mozambique expects to improve nutritional outcomes for children under 5 by expanding both the amount and quality of food they eat. Specifically, by increasing household access to cash through savings and income earning opportunities, it is expected that dietary diversity and months of adequate food provisioning will increase, particularly through the prolonged “hungry season.” STRIVE Mozambique is one of five initiatives under the AED STRIVE Program exploring effective means of reducing the vulnerability of children and youth through economic strengthening.
Thierry van Bastelaer
tvanbastelaer@savethechildren.org
October 2008-August 2012
