PROGRAMMING 13
example, conduct the baseline survey), conduct M&E, and implement programming.
Te Productive Safety Net Programme Plus/Graduation with Resilience to Achieve Sustainable Development
PSNP Plus (now GRD), funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and led by CARE, has overarching impact themes of enhancing social protection (humanitarian focus) and livelihood assets (longer-term development focus) for chronically food- insecure households. Tough PSNP Plus predates the growing trend of
resilience programs, the project is an excellent example of how the resilience of chronically food-insecure households to food shortages (oſten triggered by drought) can be strengthened using integrated programming that com- bines a focus on the underlying structural causes of food insecurity with an overall value chain approach and an emphasis on fostering the enabling environment. Originally a pilot project implemented by a consortium of interna- tional and national NGOs in drought-prone rural areas of Ethiopia,3
PSNP Plus integrated, sequenced, and layered
cross-sectoral initiatives including drought-tolerant asset transfers, improved production techniques, value-chain participation, financial literacy, and linkages to informal and formal savings and credit. GRD, also implemented by the consortium,4
social capital and household absorptive capacity by allowing participants to draw on savings in times of shock. At the end of the project, PSNP Plus was credited with greatly increasing the number of households with savings (from 10 to 75 percent) (Burns and Alemayehu 2011a, 2011b, and 2011c; TANGO International 2011). Further- more, quantitative data demonstrate that while many house- holds sold livestock assets in order to cope with the effects of the 2009 drought, much of this asset loss was recovered through the use of VSLAs facilitated by project activities. Te VSLA members were also encouraged to establish
“social funds” through complementary, voluntary contribu- tions. Typically via a weekly contribution of 1–2 Ethiopian birr per group member, social funds were set aside to cover emergency expenses that members encountered. Respon- dents reported that healthcare expenses, educational costs, and orphan care were the most common uses of the inter- est-free disbursements of social funds. In another example of increased absorptive capacity, access to these social funds mitigated the need for members to resort to asset sales or high-interest loans from moneylenders during periods of financial stress (JOCA-MOS International 2011). PSNP Plus helped to build flexibility (adaptive
targets former PSNP Plus participants
and builds on the evidence and success of PSNP Plus, while also correcting the earlier project’s strategic deficiencies. GRD’s combination of push and pull strategies provides an integrated package of initiatives (improved opportuni- ties for on- and off-farm income, increased access to finan- cial products, demand-oriented extension services, and strengthened community resilience to shocks). A strong element of the PSNP Plus /GRD resilience approach is the graduated link between the two projects. Rather than offering single short-term projects, the consortium deliber- ately uses a longer-term, multisectoral program focus that combines emergency aid with development programming and promotes synergistic partnerships between participat- ing NGOs, the government of Ethiopia, and other actors. PSNP Plus incorporated VSLAs into its overall design— a popular model introduced by NGOs to strengthen
capacities) into household economies via the transfer of drought-tolerant assets (goats, improved seeds, beehives) to chronically vulnerable households. Asset recipients received relevant technical training, such as in the use of improved seeds and livestock fodder, pest management, and product quality assurance. Importantly, the program sequenced its initiatives strategically, using VSLAs as stepping stones for production and marketing groups. By learning the basics of saving and lending on a small scale, gaining experience in group governance and financial management, and drawing on the support provided by community facilitators, VSLA members acquired the necessary management skills to strengthen their capacity in production value chains. Qualitative data from the final evaluation of PSNP Plus confirmed previous quantitative findings of an increase in household income and assets as a result of participation in one or more of the selected value chains (TANGO International 2011). PSNP Plus offers a good example of how NGOs
can promote a transformational response on the part of governments and other structures that contributes to
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