AKF’s Women-only Markets: A Promising Model

  • Partner: Aga Khan Development Network
  • Publication Type: Brief
  • Date: April 2014

Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) realized a catalytic intervention was needed to support women’s access to public spaces, demonstrating that women can run businesses. In 2007, the first women-only markets were opened as part of a wider women’s poverty reduction initiative. A total of 29 markets were launched over the next three years. This report presents the results of this intervention and the lessons learned from the operational issues encountered.

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Measuring the Results of Women’s Economic Empowerment in Private Sector Development: Guidelines for Practitioners

  • Partner: Donor Committee for Enterprise Development (DCED) Women’s Entrepreneurship Development Working Group
  • Publication Type: Toolkit
  • Date: July 2014

Most guidelines on women’s economic empowerment focus on theory of guiding implementation practices but not on measurement practices tailored to private sector development (PSD) programs. Moreover, more PSD programs focus on measuring enterprise-level results instead of household level results. This document presents the key findings on measurement practices of women’s economic empowerment specifically.

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Breaking Barriers to Youth Entrepreneurship & Employment through Savings Groups

  • Partner: The SEEP Network
  • Publication Type: Webinar
  • Date: June 24, 2014

Can youth savings groups help foster entrepreneurship and employment among young people, supporting them in their search for decent work and their struggle against poverty? This webinar presented key findings from a paper on the topic commissioned by Plan UK; programmatic considerations on what is working and what is not from the Banking on Change partnership; and learnings from Freedom from Hunger's AIM youth initiative.

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DCED Webinar: Measuring Women’s Economic Empowerment

  • Partner: Donor Committee for Enterprise Development (DCED)
  • Publication Type: Webinar
  • Date: June 17, 2014

Why measure women’s economic empowerment? Why are household level indicators important for measuring changes in women’s economic empowerment? In this webinar, Erin Markel presents guidelines, good practices, and lessons learned for Measuring Results of Women’s Economic Empowerment in Private Sector Development.

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Youth Savings Groups, Entrepreneurship and Employment

  • Partner: Plan UK
  • Publication Type: Report
  • Date: May 2014

This report examines how youth savings groups can contribute to the fight against youth unemployment. It looks at key constraints to youth employability and entrepreneurship, including limited asset base and access to finance, lack of employability and entrepreneurship skills, limited social networks, household underinvestment in education and health, unfavorable cultural and social norms and non-conducive regulatory frameworks.

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Leveraging Apprenticeships to Reach and Benefit Vulnerable Youth: Lessons from STRIVE’s Afghan Secure Futures Program

  • Partner: Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and FHI360
  • Publication Type: Report
  • Date: December 2013

STRIVE implemented four field projects in Africa and Asia between 2008 and 2013, ranging from savings-led finance to workforce development to value chain interventions. This report summarizes the findings of one of four STRIVE-funded initiatives, MEDA’s Afghan Secure Futures (ASF) project. ASF focused on benefiting youth apprentices working in workshops in the Afghan construction sector.

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Incorporating Supplementary Literacy and Numeracy Classes: Findings from STRIVE’s Afghan Secure Futures Program

  • Partner: Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and FHI360
  • Publication Type: Report
  • Date: June 2013

STRIVE has implemented four field projects in Africa and Asia between 2008 and 2013. Each project has pursued a unique economic strengthening approach, ranging from savings-led finance to workforce development to value chain interventions. This report summarizes the findings of one of four STRIVE-funded initiatives, MEDA’s Afghan Secure Futures (ASF) project. ASF focused on benefiting youth apprentices working in workshops in the Afghan construction sector, in part by facilitating their access to supplementary literacy and numeracy training.

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Livelihood & Food Security Conceptual Framework

  • Partner: Livelihoods and Food Security Technical Assistance (LIFT) / United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
  • Publication Type: Report
  • Date: August 2011

The relationship between livelihoods and food security is complex and is influenced by a wide variety of factors that vary in importance across contexts and over time. This document presents a conceptual framework for integrating sustainable, market-driven livelihood strengthening into food security interventions.

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Assessment of USAID/PEPFAR’s Economic Strengthening Programs in Ethiopia: August 2010 – October 2010

  • Partner: Livelihoods and Food Security Technical Assistance (LIFT) / United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
  • Publication Type: Report
  • Date: April 2011

This paper presents an assessment conducted by the Livelihoods and Food Security Technical Assistance (LIFT) project of USAID Ethiopia’s economic strengthening (ES) activities within the office’s HIV/AIDS portfolio. This report contains the assessment findings together with recommendations for USAID/PEPFAR Ethiopia to support program activities. The goal of this assessment was to help mitigate the impacts of HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia by improving the quality and impact of ES interventions.

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Assessment of PEPFAR Economic Strengthening Programming for PLHIV and OVC in Swaziland

  • Partner: Livelihoods and Food Security Technical Assistance (LIFT), United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
  • Publication Type: Report
  • Date: March 2011

This assessment evaluated the potential of PEPFAR‘s Economic Strengthening programs in Swaziland to improve the well-being of People Living with HIV/AIDS, Orphans and Vulnerable Children and their caregivers, and identify new program opportunities and technical assistance options for strengthening existing programs.

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