Livelihoods

Our vision: Sustainable communities

Around the world, the impact of extreme poverty on children’s development is devastating. World Vision is working to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty by 2030 so that the most vulnerable children can reach their full potential. Because of our community-focused solutions, for every child helped, four more children benefit, too.

Our work in livelihoods aims to ensure:

•  children are well nourished and free from hunger
•  families with children have adequate and resilient livelihoods, income and assets
•  families and children have reasons and resources to be in school
•  adolescents develop hope and skills for a productive future.

 How we do this

  a) Graduating the most vulnerable families out of extreme poverty

World Vision focuses on an intensive two-year programme that equips the most vulnerable families to be self-reliant once World Vision has left. We provide access to temporary food and cash assistance, savings for transformation, training, and marketing expertise to help families’ kickstart a small business or access employment. Families are also taught about health, nutrition, and hygiene practices to ensure that economic gains are translated into better care for their children. 

With the launch of a new global strategy called Our Promise 2030, World Vision and BRAC partnered to deliver on ultra- poor graduation (UPG) approach to lift the most vulnerable children and their families out of extreme poverty (SDG1). BRAC and WV co-developed a field handbook accompanied by a set of minumum standards designed to provide consistent guidance to practitioners implementing UPG in contexts affected by climate change, conflict and displacement.  

b) Building secure livelihoods and market access

Here, the focus is on strengthening families’ ability to produce more nutritious food and market the excess for a regular income. Disasters often push families backward so we encourage them to build resilience by saving and managing water and natural resources more effectively. We also offer access to small loans through VisionFund.

 c) Promoting sustainable employment opportunities

We work with adolescents to develop relevant skills for them to enter the workplace. This not only provides a potential livelihood for the future but also instils hope and aspirations for a better life. Our microfinance arm, VisionFund works with potential employers by providing small loans to promote market and employment opportunities.

 d) Women Economic Empowerment

In order for children to benefit from our productive and resilient livelihoods programs, we complement our programs with positive family/gender relations, women’s economic empowerment and policies that promote graduation out of extreme poverty.

Resources

• World Vision Ultra-Poor Graduation Handbook
• Ultra-Poor Graduation Minimum Standards
• Key Features of World Vision Savings for Transformation Project Model
• The additional social benefit of projects -a case study from Mongolia of the Social Return on Investment
• Integrating Extremely Poor Producers into Markets Field Guide
• Value chain development with the extremely poor: evidence and lessons from CARE, Save the Children, and World Vision
• Serving the Missing Middle-Growing Small Agricultural Businesses to Reduce Poverty and Increase Social Impact 
• Economic Strengthening, Resilient Livelihoods Approaches and Child Well-Being -Evidence and Knowledge Gaps
• A Typology of Market-Based Approaches to include the most marginalised-IDS, Coady Institute and the BEAM Exchange
• Livelihoods and Child Welfare among Poor Rural Farmers in East Africa

 For more information on our livelihoods work, contact: Richard Rumsey and follow @Rumsey_WVision