Economic Strengthening for Vulnerable Children

This guide is designed to provide implementing partners with guidance on how to design appropriate economic strengthening interventions for vulnerable children and their caregivers. It includes recommendations on how to look at the households economic vulnerability, livelihood needs and assets, and how to undertake assessments to align select economic strengthening interventions with the needs of target beneficiaries and opportunities within local markets. It then provides detailed descriptions and guidance on three livelihood pathways: cash and asset transfers, savings groups, and enterprise development. Key insights include:

• Cash transfers are an effective household economic strengthening activity for enhancing the lives of children by improving education, health and nutrition outcomes;
• Studies on savings group approaches commonly demonstrate that members increase investments in agriculture, enterprise, and health – though there are few studies that have assessed the subsequent impacts of these investments on children;
• Enterprise development activities are generally not appropriate for vulnerable households who are not equipped to take the risks necessary to invest in and grow a business, and children themselves can be too young (legally and developmentally) to be direct participants in these activities;
• Models that combine elements of consumption support, money management, and enterprise development in a sequential manner are emerging and show promise.