youth savings and loan associations

GAP ANALYSIS AND LINKAGE READINESS ASSESSMENT FOR YOUTH/VILLAGE SAVINGS AND LOANS ASSOCIATIONS (Y/VSLAs)

The Development Initiative for Northern Uganda (DINU), a Government of Uganda initiative with support from European Union, supervised by the Office of the Prime Minister is being implemented by a consortium led by CARE Denmark. The program is being implemented in the Karamoja sub region (covering 11 districts) as well as Kitgum and Katakwi districts. CARE Denmark commissioned gap analysis for Y/VSLA linkage to identify interventions aimed at contributing to improved access to credit through community saving and credit schemes.

The objectives of the study included gap analysis of Y/VSLAs, linkage readiness assessment for mature Y/VSLAs and evaluation “digital readiness” of group members. A representative sample of 773 Y/VSLAs from drawn from all the project districts were covered the study. The sample was classified in three categories: Mature groups totalling 350 (45.3%) Mature and ready for Linkage groups, 390 (50.5%) and Watch Category/Maturing groups and 33 (4.3%)

The analysis revealed that the gaps identified in Mature and Ready-for-linkage Y/VSLAs were closely similar to those in Watch Category (Maturing Groups) category and required more or less similar interventions.
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Strengthening Resilience and Inclusive Governance (STRENPO) Mid-term Review

The Strengthening Resilience and Inclusive Governance Program (STRENPO) is a 4-year programme in the nexus between humanitarian and development work, managed by CARE International in Uganda, in partnership with four Ugandan civil society organisations. The programme commenced in April 2018 for the years 2018-2021.

The overall objective of STRENPO is: Women and youth in vulnerable, natural resource-dependent communities, including refugee settlements, are resilient to shocks and stresses arising from natural resources degradation, climate change, and conflict & displacement.

The overall impression generated from the documents review and the consultations in Uganda is that programme implementation is largely on track compared with work plans; this includes individual partner projects carried out by three ‘old’ partner organisations and RICE-WN as the new partner in the programme. Interventions are well-managed and the STRENPO team in CARE as well as staff in the partner organisations appear dedicated to the implementation of the programme in general and to their particular contribution.

A baseline survey was undertaken in late 2018 and is assessed as a well-planned and executed activity. The study focused on measuring resilience and the result was a sophisticated framework of criteria for categorising indicators of capacity to anticipate and respond appropriately to climate changes. Important information also came out from the Gender Sensitive Climate Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis (G-CVCA) that were undertaken by mid-2019.

- It is therefore recommended to introduce a more diversified approach to the interventions that targets impact groups directly, building on findings from the baseline survey and the G-CVCAs.
- It is recommended that STRENPO continues a strong follow-up to the CAAPs in order to facilitate funding of activities of priority to the involved communities and relevant to the programme’s objectives.
- It is therefore recommended that STRENPO during the coming two years increases the focus on using potential avenues for best practices replication and other catalytic effects.
- It is recommended that the STRENPO partners together selects a handful of the outlined ‘strategic actions’ for further development and specification.
- It is recommended that some of the capacity gaps that have key relevance for the programme are selected, so that it can be decided what type and how much support to the capacity development interventions the programme is able to offer.
- It is recommended that STRENPO in early 2020 reviews its potentials for engaging in stronger partnerships with the private sector, using a market driven analytical approach to determine appropriate interventions and relevant value chain and private sector actors to engage with.
- It is recommended that the STRENPO team engages in a discussion with CARE Danmark to further clarify their understanding and expectations regarding the programme’s inclusion of innovative climate change prevention solutions and a transformative approach to resilience.
- It is recommended that STRENPO undertakes a quick review of its results framework, with the intention to reduce the number of indicators, but also to allow a breakdown on some indicators into refugees and hosts. The revision should also aim at reducing and/or combining the qualitative indicators and progress markers. It is furthermore recommended to review and revise the phrasing of result areas and the Theory of Change, taking note of the suggestions made during the MTR workshop.


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