Business Development
Women’s economic empowerment in emergency contexts: Niger case study
- Publication Date: 15/08/2019
- Sectors: Emergency|Humanitarian Aid, savings groups, Women's Economic Empowerment
- Languages: English
- Country: Niger
- Evaluation Type: Special Evaluation/Report
- Keywords: Business Development, Cash Vouchers, decision-making, Humanitarian Aid, Social Norms, Vsla, Women's Economic Empowerment
While discussion of the ‘Humanitarian, Development and Peace Nexus’ continues within the sector, there remains debate as to whether women’s economic empowerment is a luxury, or even feasible in humanitarian contexts where the priority is to keep people alive. Increasingly, however, humanitarians are seeing interventions aimed at women’s economic empowerment in emergency contexts as a key tool to increase protection and support people in crises to live in dignity. CARE set out to analyse whether financial inclusion strategies like community-led savings groups may in fact represent a way to not only respond to crises, but also to build resilience against them, even in highly fluid contexts.
In June 2018, CARE teams conducted fieldwork in two areas where it is implementing ongoing humanitarian interventions. CARE organised focus groups and interviews with communities and individuals in Diffa and Konni where it has delivered humanitarian assistance. The interventions combined blanket cash distributions, and the establishment of savings and credit groups which also provided women with life skills and business training to set up small businesses.
Within a crisis setting, combining a savings group structure including income generation support with humanitarian assistance such as food and non-food items (NFIs) helped women not only to meet basic needs in a more sustainable way, but also improved their independent access to and control over money.
During emergencies, providing women with humanitarian cash to cover basic needs allowed women in savings groups to continue saving and to invest in income generating activities (IGA), rather than using up capital on food.
If crises continue to hit, the positive impact of savings groups set up in emergencies can become strained. In this case, further cash interventions can preserve small businesses.
Membership of savings groups and receipt of IGAs and life skills training increased women’s income and confidence. Membership of a savings group provides psychosocial benefits to women who are suffering anxiety, depression or trauma by providing a social network that meets and talks regularly. Read More...
In June 2018, CARE teams conducted fieldwork in two areas where it is implementing ongoing humanitarian interventions. CARE organised focus groups and interviews with communities and individuals in Diffa and Konni where it has delivered humanitarian assistance. The interventions combined blanket cash distributions, and the establishment of savings and credit groups which also provided women with life skills and business training to set up small businesses.
Within a crisis setting, combining a savings group structure including income generation support with humanitarian assistance such as food and non-food items (NFIs) helped women not only to meet basic needs in a more sustainable way, but also improved their independent access to and control over money.
During emergencies, providing women with humanitarian cash to cover basic needs allowed women in savings groups to continue saving and to invest in income generating activities (IGA), rather than using up capital on food.
If crises continue to hit, the positive impact of savings groups set up in emergencies can become strained. In this case, further cash interventions can preserve small businesses.
Membership of savings groups and receipt of IGAs and life skills training increased women’s income and confidence. Membership of a savings group provides psychosocial benefits to women who are suffering anxiety, depression or trauma by providing a social network that meets and talks regularly. Read More...
Impact assessment atmanirbhar
- Publication Date: 01/02/2017
- Sectors: GBV, Women's Economic Empowerment
- Languages: English
- Country: Nepal
- Evaluation Type: End of Project evaluation
- Keywords: Adolescents, Business Development, Economic Development
This 69 page document highlights impacts from the Atamanirbhar project in Rupanedhi that focuses on ... Read More...
Filter Evaluations
Keyword Cloud
Advocacy
Agriculture
AIDS
Basic and Girls' Education
Cash Transfers
Child Health
child marriage
Child Nutrition
Civil Society and Governance
Climate Change
Conflict Mitigation
Drr
Economic Development
Education
Emergency
Environment
Food Security
Gbv
Gender
Gender Equality
Global Affairs Canada
Humanitarian Aid
Infrastructure
Livelihoods
Markets
Maternal
Natural Resources
Nutrition
Refugee
Reproductive Health
Resilience
Sexual
Shelter
Social Norms
Stunting
Usaid
Usaid Funded
Value Chain
Value Chains
Vsla
Wash
Water
Women's Economic Empowerment
Women's Empowerment
Youth