Urban Hunger and Livelihoods – Save the Children
Prepared by Jessica Andrews, Chantel Morant and Calvin Hayes
Introduction
Save the Children’s hunger and livelihoods program recognizes the monumental changes
taking place as it relates to increased levels of poverty and malnutrition now shifting from rural
to urban areas. More than a billion children live in urban cities and towns worldwide. 1 By 2050,
it is likely that an estimated 70 percent of the global population will be living in urban cities. 2
Urban life hides great disparities between rich and poor. These inherited conditions hold several
uncertainties for children particularly in regards to food security and livelihoods. This study
encompasses data gathered from country offices to better understand hunger and livelihoods
from an urban context, illuminate current program offerings, and identify lessons learned that
will improve the capability of families to overcome food insecurity and malnutrition. An
examination of these policies and programs not only helped identify the scope of the problem,
but also studied the role of stakeholders involved, and the current level of support being
dedicated to improving urban livelihoods.
Preceding the summary of the data collected is a review of the hunger and livelihoods
themes in existing literature. The literature review is followed by the data collected in the
surveys and interviews conducted with country offices. The research revealed four themes
consistent with Save the Children’s urban hunger and livelihood programming. Those themes
are: capacity building, financial education and assistance, post- conflict food security and postdisaster food security. The study also includes best practices and innovative approaches
developed by Save the Children to improve hunger and livelihoods for those living in urban
cities and towns.
Literature Review
Urban life equates to poverty and exclusion for billions of children. In China, 47% of the
population lives in urban areas, whereas there is 78% and 87% of the population living in urban
areas in Mexico and Brazil respectively. 3 As more children move to these urban areas, there
must be an overall increase in the amount of goods, services and employment opportunities made
available. While children in urban cities may live near good schools and valuable resources,
many are disenfranchised and lack basic services. 4 Urban areas may appear to have great levels
of food availability and security, however not every family is granted access to those resources.
The urban poor experience high levels of food insecurity because of poverty and social
exclusion. Urbanization ultimately leads to poverty because families incur high costs in paying
for food, housing, health fees, transportation, school and other basic necessities. 5 Children in
urban areas are three times less likely to be unemployed than their parents and therefore lack the
1
United Nations Population Fund, State of World Population 2007,
http://unfpa.org/webdav/site/global/shared/documents/publications/2007/695_filename_sowp2007_eng.pdf.
2
Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, How to Feed the World in 2050, 2009,
http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/wsfs/docs/expert_paper/How_to_Feed_the_World_in_2050.pdf.
3
UNICEF, The State of the World’s Children 2012, 2.
4
Child Rights Information Network, Children’s Right to the City, 2009, http://www.crin.org/docs/CRIN_review_22_final.pdf.
5
UNICEF, 2012.
financial ability to purchase food and maintain a nutritious diet. 6 In 2011, more than 74.8
million youth between the ages of 15-24 were unemployed. 7 Urban youth are placed at a
disadvantage when competing for jobs because many lack basic skills, education and job
training. Additionally, when confronted with environmental disaster or political conflict,
children are the most vulnerable population and therefore are the most negatively affected These
challenges present an opportunity to redirect rural programming resources to urban areas and to
implement more projects that focus on income generating activities and capacity building skills
to help with job placement for urban youth.
Financial Services and Employment
Urban cities have generally been associated with employment and economic
opportunities for youth. However, more than half the children living in urban areas are lowincome. 8 Low levels of formal education disqualify many youth from competing for jobs and
obtaining the necessary skills to improve their livelihoods. 9 Children that migrate to urban areas
are less likely to get a job than those who are urban residents because of educational inequalities
and disparities between the urban rich and poor. 10 Throughout forty five different countries, the
urban rich are more likely to complete secondary education than their poor counterparts who lack
basic primary education. Over 90 percent of the poor urban youth in Cambodia, compared to
82% of the rural poor and 31% of the urban rich lack basic primary education. 11 Poor urban
youth in several African countries, such as Kenya and Nigeria, face extreme economic
challenges and threats to their livelihood because they must compete with urban residents who
have formal education and advanced skills. 12 As a result, many urban youth depend solely on
jobs in the informal sector, which may include construction, waste picking, car vending and
street repair. 13 Jobs in the informal sector pay substantially less than employment opportunities
in the formal sector which require advanced education. Reducing poverty among urban youth is
largely dependent upon expanding secondary education opportunities. Additionally, enhancing
skills development is an appropriate response to adequately address urban employment
problems. Job training would allow urban youth to be more self- reliant and would lead to an
increase in professional opportunities. Particularly in West Africa, youth who obtain a secondary
education increase their earning potential by more than 20-50% and have greater chances of
escaping poverty. 14
6
UNICEF, 2012.
UN International Labor Organization, UN System Task Team on the Post-2015 UN Development Agenda: Emerging
Development challenges for the post-2015 UN development agenda: Employment, 2012,
http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/Think%20Pieces/5_employment.pdf.
8
UNICEF, 2012.
9
Caroline Ratcliffe and Signe-Mary McKernan, Child Poverty and Its Lasting Consequence, Urban Institute, 2012,
http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412659-Child-Poverty-and-Its-Lasting-Consequence-Paper.pdf.
10
Gina Adams, Kathryn Tout, and Martha Zaslow, Early Care and Education for Children in Low- Income Families Patterns of
Use, Quality, and Potential Policy Implications, The Urban Institute and Child Trends, 4 (2007): 1-35.
11
UNESCO, Education for All Global Monitoring Report: Chapter 6 Skills for urban youth – A chance for a better future, 2012,
http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/ED/pdf/gmr2012-report-ch6.pdf.
12
M.Adato and L.Bassett, Social protection to support vulnerable children and families: the potential of cash transfers to
protect education, health and nutrition, AIDS Care: Psychological and Socio-medical Aspects of AIDS/HIV, Routledge, 21:S1
(2011), 60-75, http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/09540120903112351.
13
UNESCO, 2012.
14
UNESCO, 2012.
7
Improving skills among poor urban youth must be facilitated at the national level and
implemented as an educational- reform strategy particularly designed to address the urban
informal sector. Offering social protection, legal support and training for workers such as street
vendors would not only help to increase income, but also upgrade their technical and business
skills to run microenterprises. 15 Second chance programs are also critical components for
reinforcing basic educational and literacy among poor urban youth to improve employability. In
2009, the government of Liberia partnered with UNICEF to reach more than 75,000 students by
providing a second- chance program that offered a direct route to the formal education system,
new skills learning, and vocational support to start small businesses. 16 In Nepal, the Alliance for
Social Mobilization partnered with the government to offer vocational education and training in
car repair, computer- hardware maintenance, construction and cooking. A study indicated that
66% of the youth that participated came from economically marginalized backgrounds and 73%
successfully found employment after the program. 17 Strengthening second chance programs
empowers poor urban youth with better work opportunities and a greater chance to compete with
their well- educated counterparts
Microfinance and social protection programs that encourage literacy and numeracy skills
are also profitable investments that give young people the foundation to start small businesses,
build credit and invest money wisely. Save the Children recently partnered with the MasterCard
Foundation to launch Youth Save, a program supported by a $12.5 million that brings together
financial institutions, governments, and NGOs to provide savings products to disadvantaged
youth, which will enhance their access to better education, skills, and economic opportunities.18
Savings and insurance programs increase youth employment and entrepreneurship because small
loans automatically eliminate initial financial constraints and impediments. Currently, 82% of
microfinance clients live in Asia, 7% live in Latin America and 2% in Sub- Saharan Africa and
the Middle East. Expanding microfinance options and programs across regions is a key element
of improving hunger and livelihoods while also offering sustainable support to entrepreneurs
among urban youth. 19
Expanding access to apprenticeships and internships is also a key element in developing
the capacity to improve livelihoods and alleviate poverty. Apprenticeships and internships in the
formal sector are usually awarded through family contacts and networks. As a result, girls and
young people with disabilities are usually excluded from selection. 20 Equitable access to
apprenticeships and internships is an imperative policy issue that must be addressed to increase
skills development and youth employment in poor urban areas. 21 In Ghana, apprenticeships
provide 80 - 90% of all skills training including in the fields of motor repair and construction.
Internships and apprenticeships in countries like Kenya and Pakistan offer more flexibility,
15
Jacob Levitsky, USAID Microenterprise Stocktaking Evaluation, Small Enterprise Development 1.2 (1990): 51-54.
UNICEF, 2012.
17
UNICEF, The State of the World’s Children 2011.
18
Save the Children, What do Youth Savers Want?, 2012, http://mastercardfdn.org/wp-content/uploads/YouthSave-MarketResearch-Report_FINAL1.pdf.
19
UNESCO, 2012.
20
UNESCO, 2012.
21
Linda Winfield, Developing Resilience in Urban Youth, 2004,
http://ecap.crc.illinois.edu/eecearchive/books/resguide/winfield.pdf.
16
affordability and immediate practical experience. 22 Developing internships and apprenticeships
in urban areas into a dual mechanism that incorporates theoretical learning and practical training,
while specifically granting wider access to poor urban youth, is a critical element of achieving
improved livelihoods and increasing youth employment.
Emergency Food Security and Livelihoods
Food security is most commonly referred to as the ability of all people, at all times to
consume a healthy and nutritious diet.23 For most urban dwellers, the lack of economic means
and ability to purchase foods is the overarching issue. Without claim to any arable land, most of
these households rely solely on purchased goods. However, in Nigeria, purchased goods amount
to over 60 percent of total expenditures of each household, and families have very little
economic means to handle the costs of household goods, transportation, energy, education,
healthcare and other items that are essential to survival, which are also usually overpriced.24
When an urban household does not meet basic food needs, the family is deemed food insecure
and unable to access a nutritious diet.
Food insecurity is at the core of environmental disasters and political unrest. Environmental
disasters have the potential to destroy infrastructure and disrupt food distribution and supply.25
Violence often leads to political instability and hinders resource allocation in urban areas. When
confronted with environmental and political turmoil, a population must have the capacity to
protect itself against damage, loss, or disaster. 26 An Emergency Food Security and Livelihoods
program works to prevent acute malnutrition during environmental shock by helping a
population meet their most immediate food needs and recovering basic livelihoods. Emergency
food security interventions include, but are not limited to, a nutrition analysis and surveillance
period, which seeks to access the depth of food insecurity and damage. An assessment is usually
followed by basic food distribution and dry- supplementary feeding. As a population gradually
recovers from shock and their basic needs are met, an emergency program may implement cash
transfer programs, business skills training and an asset protection mechanism. 27
Children are the most vulnerable to injury, death and malnutrition in the face of disaster and
environmental shock. Children in urban cities are not exempt from the consequences resulting
from drought, severe rainfall, and earthquakes. 28 Due to high population densities in urban cities,
22
UNESCO, 2012.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, An Introduction to the Basic Concepts of Food Security, 2008,
http://www.fao.org/docrep/013/al936e/al936e00.pdf.
24
Todd Benson, et al., Global Food Crises: Monitoring and Assessing Impact to Inform Policy Responses, International Food
Policy Research Institute, 2008, http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/publications/pr19_1.pdf.
25
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Policy Issues for the ESCAP Region, 2006,
http://www.unescap.org/62/English/E1362e.pdf.
26
Kenneth Marsh and Betty Bugusu, Food Packaging – Roles, Materials, and Environmental Issues, Institute of Food
Technologies, 2007, http://ift.org/knowledge-center/read-ift-publications/science-reports/scientific-statussummaries/~/media/Knowledge%20Center/Science%20Reports/Scientific%20Status%20Summaries/FoodPackagingEnviron_04
07.pdf.
27
USAID, FSNAU and FEWSNET, Market functioning in southern Somalia, 2011,
http://www.fews.net/docs/Publications/Somalia%20Market%20Functioning%20July%202011.pdf.
28
Viridiana Garcia, Children Malnutrition and Horizontal Inequalities in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Focus on Contrasting Domestic
Trajectories, UNDP, 2012, http://web.undp.org/africa/knowledge/WP-2012-019-garcia-working-afhdr-malnutritioninequalities.pdf.
23
disaster leads to a rapid spread of diseases, poor drainage systems and infrastructure, and
inadequate disbursement of resources. More than 200,000 refugees from Ethiopia, Somalia,
Eritrea and Rwanda have migrated to urban areas in Kenya and are struggling to make ends meet
because they have unsuccessfully been able to respond to environmental shock. 29 In 2011, the
World Food Program provided food assistance to 7.8 million people in five countries and was
able to move nutritional products by sea, air and road to address the most vulnerable throughout
the Horn of Africa. 30 Emergency Food Security programs are most effective when populations
are least resilient. Two types of resilience that exist are inherent and adaptive. Inherent
resilience is the ability of a system to perform under normal circumstances. Adaptive resilience
is the ability of a system to perform in crisis situations. In most cases, children living in urban
cities are operating within the realm of inherent resistance and the consequences can sometimes
be deadly. 31
Parents of poor urban children usually take shelter in the most affordable structures
available. As a result, an overwhelming majority of these families live in vulnerable conditions,
which consist of overcrowded slums, hazardous –waste sites, and other places that lack the
proper protection to guard against extreme disaster. 32 Children in these urban cities most often
live in houses that are made from delicate and outdated material that stand little chance of
surviving an earthquake or other environmental disaster. 33 An Emergency Food Security
programs would direct efforts toward asset replacement and basic repair of shelter.
Agriculture and Value Chains
Agriculture development and food production is drastically changing in rural areas but
has little impact on urban areas. Instead, a sustainable food production mechanism would be
useful in urban areas to strengthen the opportunity for poor people to gain access to a local food
supply. 34Sustainable food production is an engagement of practices that keep the environment
healthy and conducive for food production. Programs of this type are urgently needed in urban
areas because of the rise in global environmental degradation, competition for resources,
increased population sizes, a greater need for food, and the contribution of agriculture to the
international economy. 35 A sustainable food production program includes environmental
accounting, carrying capacity, equity, and product supply and food security. These perspectives
identify the biophysical limits of agriculture and the maximum population level that the
29
Josh Chaffin, Young and Restless: Harnessing the Economic Resilience of Displaced Youth in Nairobi, Women's Refugee
Commission (2012).
30
World Food Programme, Ethiopia: Annual Report, 2011,
https://www.wfp.org/sites/default/files/WFP%20Ann.%20Report_0.pdf.
31
Kathleen Tierney and Michel Bruneau, Conceptualizing and Measuring Resilience, TR News, 2007,
http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/trnews/trnews250_p14-17.pdf.
32
UNICEF, 2012.
33
UNICEF, 2012.
34
Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Opportunities and Solutions for Sustainable Food Production, 2013,
http://unsdsn.org/files/2013/01/Agriculture-Paper-for-HLP.pdf.
35
Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, Towards the Future We Want, 2012,
http://www.fao.org/docrep/015/an894e/an894e00.pdf.
agriculture can serve in urban cities. 36 Agriculture value chains are also focused on the use of
natural resources.
Natural resources and their overall contribution to rural livelihoods have been deeply
explored, but have not been fully investigated within an urban context. However, urban based
natural resources are a significant field of study because it provides an innovative approach to
improving and supporting urban hunger and livelihoods. Natural resources have been
traditionally limited to land for the purposes of agriculture and water to support sanitation and
irrigation. 37 Exploring natural resource efficiency in urban cities allows the opportunity to think
about these areas more broadly to include biological- resource themes like trees, plants, and
waste. Additionally, greater use of non- biological resources like rocks and minerals can be
explored to make the greatest use of resource efficiency in urban areas. 38
Natural resources in urban cities can be used for the production of cereal- crop
cultivation, vegetable and mushroom production, and cattle. Consuming natural resources allows
food to be eaten without having to make a purchase, trees to be burned for wood, and rocks to
build houses. These untraditional resources can also promote trade and employment because
land, rocks, and vegetables can be sold to stimulate the economy. 39 Land in urban cities is scarce,
but can be used to grow agricultural products to produce vegetables, furniture and wood. Using
water wisely in urban cities is far more than just for the purposes of cleaning, cooking and
drinking, but can also contribute to the process of brewing beverages and producing soap to be
sold. 40 Finally, waste as a natural resource can be used for the recycling of raw material and the
scavenging for food in urban cities. For example, storm brewing is taking drain waste and
transforming them into shitake mushrooms to feed animals. 41 Resource efficiency involves
transforming waste and other untraditional natural resources into opportunities as a strategy to
improve hunger and livelihoods.
Urban Governance
Urban governance is a critical component of improving hunger and livelihoods for
children in urban settings. Urban governance is a system that allows civil society to exercise
political participation, directly settle disputes, and equip the urban poor with the tools to demand
essential services and resources. 42
36
Sustainable Development Solutions Network, SDSN Factsheet, 2013,
http://unsdsn.org/files/2013/03/SDSN_factsheet_US.pdf.
37
UNIDO and UNEP, Taking Stock and Moving Forward, 2010,
http://www.unido.org/fileadmin/user_media/Services/Environmental_Management/Contacts/Contacts/Taking%20stock%20an
d%20moving%20forward-November2010.pdf.
38
Rachel Slater and Chasca Twyman, Hidden Livelihoods? Natural Resource-Dependent, Livelihoods and Urban Development
Policy, Overseas Development Institute, 2003, http://www.odi.org.uk/sites/odi.org.uk/files/odi-assets/publications-opinionfiles/2462.pdf.
39
FAO, 2009.
40
UNIDO and UNEP, 2010.
41
Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, Global Food Losses and Food Waste, 2011,
http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/suistainability/pdf/Global_Food_Losses_and_Food_Waste.pdf.
42
UNHABITAT, Good Urban Governance: Towards an Effective Private Sector Engagement, 2009,
http://www.unhabitat.org/downloads/docs/WG_B_Background_Urban_Governance&the_PrivateSector_draft0.pdf.
Urban Governance has been defined as:
The exercise of political, economic and administrative authority in a management of a
country’s affairs at all levels in an urban setting. It includes mechanism of formal and informal
processes implemented by the state, which allow citizens and groups to articulate their concerns
and exercise their political rights. 43
Good urban governance is a critical element to eliminating poverty, social exclusion and
hunger. Creating a mechanism and a conducive environment for the poor to express their
concerns is inextricably bound to the capability of securing sustainable livelihoods. 44 Influencing
urban policy is directly connected to the ability of citizens to advocate for better policies dealing
with water, housing, health and infrastructure. Improving urban governance also focuses on
providing programs and policies that will create jobs and opportunities for the urban poor to be
self- reliant. 45 Additionally, improving urban governance can identify new ways to eliminate
discriminatory practices. Urban youth are discriminated against based on gender and disabilities
when competing for educational and employment opportunities. Urban children with disabilities
are particularly vulnerable to poverty and discrimination because they are not taken seriously and
have less access to file grievances. In West Africa, more than 50 percent of children who are
deaf and 60 percent who are intellectually impaired are discriminated against in the workplace
and in everyday life. In Senegal, disabled children in urban areas are sometimes required to pay
additional fees for healthcare costs. 46 Urban governance and policy offers a platform to address
these issues and a mechanism for youth to improve their hunger and livelihoods situation. 47
Children living in these cities are most affected by urban policies and regulations.
Increasing income, reducing risk against environmental shock, and implementing new regulatory
policies for natural resource management are essential elements of strengthening urban
governance and improving hunger and livelihoods.
43
UNHABITAT, 2009.
UNICEF, Children’s Rights and Good Urban Governance, 2003,
http://www.childfriendlycities.org/pdf/conference_february_report.pdf.
45
UNICEF, 2012.
46
CRIN, 2009.
47
Women in Informal Employment Globalizing and Organizing, Supporting Urban Livelihoods, Reducing Urban Poverty, 2010,
http://wiego.org/sites/wiego.org/files/resources/files/Chen_Supporting_Urban_Livelihoods.pdf.
44
Mapping and Analysis of Existing Save the Children Hunger and Livelihoods Programs
Country
Project Name
Zimbabwe
Cash for
Work/Smart
Card Program
Partner Organizations
•
•
TN Bank
USAIF Office
of Foreign
Direct
Investment
•
KIVA
Sub- Thematic Area
•
•
•
Vietnam
VietnamCan Tho
City
Thanh Hoa
Fund for Poor
Women
Golden Hand
Microfinance
Program
•
Financial Education
and Assistance
Cash Transfers
Financial Education
and Assistance
•
Microenterprise
•
Financial Education
and Assistance
•
Microfinance
•
Agriculture and
Value Chains
Population Served
•
•
•
Project Value
$225,000
Poor urban families
in Karoi,
Hurungwe, Kariba,
Binga and Hwange
districts
Poor urban women
Women
entrepreneurs
Loan Portfolio
$1.5m
•
Women age 18- 50
Loan
Portfolio:
$252,000
•
Microentrepreneurs and
farmers
$350,000
KIVA
Training on
Agriculture
Techniques
•
•
Chevron
CitiBank
Vietnam
Vocational
Training
•
USAID
•
Employment
•
Households
with disabilities
N/A
Philippines
Cash Assistance
and Skills
Training
•
KRAFT
•
Emergency Food
Security
Assistance
•
Poor Urban
Women
N/A
Philippines
Jobs and Skills
Training
•
Accenture
•
Employment
•
At- risk children
living in urban
areas
N/A
Vietnam
Country
Project Name
Sri Lanka
Cash Assistance
Program
•
American Red
Cross
China
Skills to
Succeed
Program- Job
training and
skills
•
Kyrgyzstan
Food
Distribution
Program
•
Bangladesh
Education and
Vocational
Training
Azerbaijan
Care and
Maintenance of
Refugees &
Asylum Seekers
in Azerbaijan
Burkina
Faso
Cambodia
BFA
Emergency
Nutrition and
Livelihoods
Assistance for
Drought
Affected
Families
Food Security
program
Partner Organizations
Sub- Thematic Area
Population Served
Project
Value
•
Emergency Food
Security and
Livelihoods
•
TsunamiAffected
Households in
the Eastern
Province of SriLanka
N/A
Accenture
•
Employment
•
Migrant youth
in Shanghai and
Beijing.
N/A
•
Emergency Food
Security and
Livelihoods
•
Families
displaced by
inter-ethnic
conflict
N/A
•
World Food
Program
USAID
•
European Union
•
Employment
•
Child and
Youth Laborers
N/A
•
•
UNHCR
Azerbaijan
Financial
assistance
Refugee and
asylum-seeking
families
N/A
•
•
CIDA
•
Emergency food
security
•
Families
affected by
flooding in
Kaya and
Barsalogho
Health Districts
N/A
•
•
EJAF
Global Fund
•
Food Security
•
Orphans and
vulnerable
children
affected by
AIDS
N/A
Country
Project Name
Partner Organizations
Sub- Thematic Area
Population Served
Project
Value
Haiti
Emergency
food security
•
•
•
DEC
KPMG
SIDA
•
Emergency food
security
•
Families
affected by the
earthquake in
Port au Prince
and other areas
N/A
Haiti
Agriculture
•
SIDA
•
Agriculture and
value chains
•
Farms near
urban areas
affected by
earthquake
N/A
Haiti
Financial
services
•
DEC
•
Financial
assistance
•
Families
affected by the
earthquake
N/A
•
Families in
Blantyre
N/A
Malawi
Care and
Savings
•
•
•
•
Emergency Food
Security and
Livelihoods
•
Humanitarian
food aid
Malawi
government
USAID
UKAID
WFP
Miller family of
USA
•
Malawi
•
Financial
education and
assistance
•
Households
with children
under the age of
2 in Blantyre
N/A
Malawi
Cash transfers
•
•
WFP
UAID
•
Financial
assistance
•
Vulnerable
families in
Blantyre
N/A
Thailand
Emergency
food security
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
SC UK
SC Sweden
ECHO
SONY
Hewlett Packard
SC US
US corporates
•
Emergency food
security
•
Families
affected by
flooding in
Bangkok
N/A
Capacity Building
Job training/Placement Program
Capacity building is an integral aspect of development programs particularly in urban
settings. The rapid growth of urbanization in many emerging nations has increased the demand
for sustainable programs that enhance the skill set of constituents while ensuring the overall
functionality of the organizations that serve them. In the case of Save the Children’s urban
programs, job training and placement was a common element country offices used to build
capacity.
In Bangladesh for example, SC
partnered with the European Union
(EU) to develop demand-driven,
flexible and efficient Technical and
Vocational Education and Training
(TVET) that led to employment and
income opportunities for participants.
Of the 5000 young people that
participated in TVET, each of them
have increased income, job training
and placement. This result is
significant because it was targeted
toward young people who worked in
the informal economy whose jobs
included, forced labor and prostitution.
Save
the
Children’s
Bangladesh office, also trained more
than a dozen child laborers within the
Education for Youth Empowerment
program (EYE). In partnership with
the EU, Ikea, Comic Relief and other
organizations, EYE launched a 6-12
month vocational and skills training
initiative, which concluded by placing
participants in entrepreneurship and wage employment positions. EYE enabled child laborers to
get out of hazardous work conditions and get basic education to better prepare them for their
future.
In an effort similar to SC Bangladesh, China’s hunger and livelihood program focuses on
migrant youth in urban dwellings with Shanghai and Beijing. Its main objectives are to:
1. Improve the quality of vocational education including career development and support
services offered and its relevance to the local labor market of 10,000 youth in Shanghai
and Beijing
2. Empower 10,000 migrant youth to build their personal strengthen and confidence by
providing them with essential social and business skills.
3. Create an enabling environment for migrant youths in Shanghai and Beijing by building a
multi sector, support network and advocating for positive policy changes toward young
migrant workers.
Among other examples of capacity building and job training and placement best practices are in
Vietnam. As part of the hunger and livelihood program, SC Vietnam partnered with Chevron and
CitiBank to create a micro finance program which helped entrepreneurs and farmers receive
training in a variety of agriculture techniques. The training included animal husbandry as well as
homes gardening. More than 400 micro-finance clients received training. Following the program,
72% of the participants reported having applied the knowledge they gained to their agricultural
production and business which led to an increase in productivity and profits.
Financial Education and Assistance
Cash for Work/Smart Card Program
Save the Children improves hunger and livelihoods in urban areas by focusing on
innovative ways to increase access to financial services through cash transfers. Targeted cash
transfers can affect the world’s poorest children. A lack of income among poor households is the
leading cause of malnutrition in urban areas. Children in urban areas are more likely to be
healthier if their families have greater access to financial resources and the necessary support to
purchase or grow food. Save the Children hunger and livelihoods programs focuses on
improving the financial potential of poor urban families through income generating activities like
cash transfers and the savings and lending’s program.
Cash transfers not only help to increase access to food availability, but also help families
purchase clothes, seed fertilizers, health services and education resources. Cash transfers bring
together public and private partnerships that will provide income to the poor and protect the most
vulnerable populations. The two types of cash transfers are unconditional and conditional. An
unconditional transfer is cash provided by the government or non- government organization to a
household that has been identified to be highly vulnerable and economically marginalized for the
purpose of alleviating poverty. A conditional transfer usually requires a work- requirement, loans
that require repayment, cash for subsidized food fertilizer or education and health fee waivers.
The evidence gathered from Save the Children country offices indicate that many of the
cash transfer programs implemented gave participants greater access to financial services to
repair declining livelihoods resulting from environmental and economic shock. For example, in
2008, Zimbabwe suffered a humanitarian crisis which included political instability, land
problems, drought and a decrease in agriculture production and exports. Consequently,
household food security began to deteriorate because of an increase in food prices and a decrease
in employment options and money- generating activities. In 2010, Save the Children responded
with a Cash for Work (CFW) program to increase the purchasing power of poor urban families.
Through a partnership with TN Bank and the USAID Office of Foreign Direct
Assistance, Save the Children was able to introduce the first ever technology based cash delivery
system, which reached the Karoi, Hurungwe, Kariba, Binga and Hwange districts of Zimbabwe.
SC staff issued a smart card to each household, which was connected to a personal bank account.
Using a Point of Sale system, participants could buy goods, services, and withdraw cash. There
were nearly 1000 participants that received $25 per month in each district to purchase basic
goods and services. Beneficiaries were also encouraged to participate in a Savings and Lending’s
Program, which provided training on financial literacy, household budgeting and savings
strategies. As a trade- off, one member from each family worked on a public works project 12
days per month focused on improving sanitation and hygiene practices in their respective
communities. Save the Children found that the programs lead to greater levels of food security
for each district. For example, in Karoi, 69 % of families were obtaining 100% of their food
security needs as oppose to the 29% before the implementation of cash transfers. The average
household income increased from $82 to as high as $134 over the course of the project.
Microenterprise Project- Thanh Hoa Fund for Poor Women
In Vietnam, many women in urban areas lack the financial means and resources to
support their children. In response, Save the Children offered several microfinance programs,
which provided small loans to women. The programs collectively served more than 10,000
participants and allocated more than $500,000 to help improve livelihoods and economic
security for poor women in urban areas. For example, Save the Children partnered with Thanh
Hoa Fund for Poor Women to provide and improve access to financial and non- financial
services such as loans, savings, insurance and training to women urban entrepreneurs. Thanh
Hoa is one of the poorest provinces for women in Vietnam and lack of loan capital is the greatest
challenge for many of them. The fund is licensed by the Vietnamese government, operates in 7
districts, maintains a loan portfolio of USD 1.5m and benefits more than 10,650 borrowers.
Golden Hand Microfinance Program
Save the Children also established the Golden Hand Microfinance Program in Can Tho
City through a joint partnership with Tho Women’s Union and Chevron. The program was
purposed to improve the income capacity of women microentrepreneurs by introducing them to
locally adapted livelihood practices that would increase their profits and improve access to
financial services. The program served more than 1,463 women within the age of 18-50 and gave
participants the financial flexibility to engage in other income generating activities like starting
small businesses. The program not only allows participants to generate income but also improves
livelihoods by increasing knowledge of budgeting through a financial education training course.
Post-Conflict Food Security
Local Regional Procurement Project
In times of conflict and disaster, women and children are typically most at risk of
suffering the harsh consequences that follow such tragedies. Conflict situations are particularly
traumatic for these vulnerable groups because they often devastate economies and agricultural
production which in many cases leads to food insecurity. In the case of Kyrgyzstan, the country
office along with the United States Agency for International Development and the World Food
Program provided emergency food assistance to vulnerable groups in response to the food crisis
caused by the country’s interethnic conflict. In 2009 and 2010, the Local Regional Procurement
project (LRP) distributed food to Uzbek and Kyrgyz. Although there was greater need in rural
areas due to the conflict and drought which hindered agricultural production, SC Kyrgyzstan
supplied food items such as oil and flour, to individuals and families throughout the country. At
the conclusion of the program, a food-to-work initiative was instituted to provide sustainable
assistance to those in need.
Despite the success of the program, SC Kyrgyzstan, felt that it could have a greater
impact if its food relief program was partnered with others. In addition, the office would like to
see more food-to-work initiatives developed in urban areas.
Post-Disaster Food Security
Disaster Relief Programs
In the wake of a natural disaster, food security can instantly become a major problem.
Three countries reported extensive disaster-relief programs within Food Security and
Livelihoods: Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Haiti.
In Sri Lanka in 2007, Save the Children, with additional funding from Red Cross,
provided livelihood assistance post-tsunami for the poorest affected households in both urban
and rural areas. They were given cash transfers for at least three months, and up to 24 months, to
help with food and basic supplies. They targeted the poorest 10% of households, which included
4700 individuals. Urban are decidedly worse-off in Sri Lanka, where there are over 1500 slum
and shanty settlements, with over 66,000 housing units. Poverty, violence, crime, drug
trafficking and flooding areal problems in these areas. 33% of slum dwellers have limited access
to water. 39% have limited access to sanitation. There is a high rate of malnutrition in children
and many adults also do not receive enough nutritional value either because they work nine to
ten hours a day of hard labor. Urban poor also have to buy more food than rural poor. And when
disaster hits, rural poor still have the land they have inherited, whereas urban poor are often left
with nothing to generate income.
The Philippines has two separate post-disaster food security programs that were in
response to flooding and a typhoon. ECHO was implemented in Bulacan and Cagayan De Oro
City to provide immediate cash to families to address their immediate food and basic needs.
AusAID, through Save the Children Australia, also provided support to families after flooding
and had three main objectives:
•
Increase the capacity of children and youth to identify risks and solutions and initiate
action.
•
Increase the capacity of households to adopt appropriate waste management and
alternative livelihood options to ensure food security during disasters.
•
Establish a system for well-coordinated disaster risk reduction and response actions from
stakeholders at the local and provincial levels.
After providing start-up money to help people get back on their feet immediately after the
disaster, Save the Children Philippines began to focus on building up lost capital. The
Philippines has been working in urban areas since 1989, longer than many other countries.
They’ve found that it’s more difficult to convince people to participate in programs in urban
settings. It’s harder to get people to trust and more difficult to gather people together in urban
areas.
In Haiti, post-disaster food security obviously became very important in 2010 after the
earthquake. The programs worked to improve livelihoods of vulnerable households affected in
Port au Prince and other areas. There were over 13,000 beneficiaries in cash for work programs.
450 small traders, 84 artisans and 48 beach restaurant owners received cash grants to restock and
rebuild. Many of these were women and all were required to participate in Business
Development Services training. 750 households received two rounds of vouchers for fresh food.
About 150 households in camps received vouchers for household asset replacement. In 2011,
Save the Children distributed cash or vouchers to 7042 individuals for asset replacement. More
fresh food was also brought into various camps, particularly for pregnant mothers.
Quotes from the surveys:
“As urban contexts are different to those of rural, we need to explore and develop diversified
livelihoods to reduce the economic barrier, and thus the level of hunger.” (Bangladesh)
“In Sri Lanka there are nearly 1506 slum and shanty settlements; mostly illegally constructed on
state lands with 66,021 housing units, which are popularly known as low-income settlements
and are suffering from a combination of different dimensions of deprivations. For urban
development to be truly sustainable, the livelihoods of the urban poor must also be secure. This
is a difficult task for them owing to the high degree of exposure to short and long term external
risks arising out of both the above mentioned factors and poor peoples’ low capacity to protect
themselves from these risks due to inadequate assets. Compared to rural people, these slum
dwellers are facing more problems in food security, health care and child protection that
require the assistance of Save the Children.” (Sri Lanka)
“This is a new area for SC so we need to be positioning ourselves in country with global
expertise to show that we are a key player in this area. Currently, there are other INGOs who
are doing urban programming (Joint Initiative lead by Mercy Corps), so we’re not perceived as
an urban implementer. The dynamics of doing this programming is different from our usual
rural work so there would also need to be a shift in our own perceptions of our programming.”
(Zimbabwe)
“For programs to grow in urban areas, courage is needed. What urban settings lack is
convergence. There are many overlapping services, programs and NGOs. The work needs to be
mainstreamed, so everyone can look at the big picture. SC’s value is in doing just that and
bringing everyone together within the community.” (the Philippines)
Experience in each area, by country
Employment
Azerbaijan
Bangladesh
Burkina Faso
Cambodia
China
Haiti
Kyrgyzstan
Malawi
Philippines
Sri Lanka
Thailand
Vietnam
Zimbabwe
Financial education
and assistance
•
Agriculture and
value chains
Emergency food
security
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Conclusion
With more than half of the world’s children living in urban areas, policy leaders and
practitioners must develop innovative programs to reduce poverty, build sustainable pathways to
increase income, and identify mechanisms to improve access to nutritious food. Save the
Children is playing an integral role in positioning programming efforts to assist the most
vulnerable populations residing in urban areas.
A total of 42 surveys were sent out to country offices and 23 were returned. Only 13
surveys provided usable data for analysis. A longer time frame for data collection would allow
for further analysis and more recommendations. Country offices revealed that their current
efforts are focused on building income through cash transfers, financial education, and
microfinance programs. Several countries are also developing sustainable mechanisms to
increase employment through job and skills training. There is also a focus on improving access
to nutritious food in the face of environmental disaster through cultivating better farming
techniques and promoting capacity building skills. Country offices also indicated that programs
in urban areas could be duplicated in rural settings. Therefore, identifying and implementing
programs that are uniquely urban is essential to resource allocation and project implementation.
Country offices have the opportunity to be more intentional and deliberate about directing efforts
and attention to projects that are exclusively urban. Urban programming must take into account
participant socio-economic background, culture, limitations and environmental factors.
Literature vs. Country Mapping Areas of Focus
Existing literature and survey research indicate that Save the Children should be focusing
more on financial education and assistance. Programs like the smart card initiative in Zimbabwe
and the cash transfer project in Vietnam have shown the greatest results in generating income
among the urban poor. Although the literature review reveals themes that focus on strengthening
the agriculture sector, in reality these approaches are not appropriate for an urban context. The
lack of arable land
in urban areas is
Number of Save Country Offices with Experience in Each Thematic
Area
an
inherent
limitation
for
families to grow
Emergency food security
and produce food.
The study reveals Financial education and assistance
that
urban
Employment
dwellers
need
Agriculture and value chains
more than just
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
food supply, but
also
need
microfinance projects that will give them loans to start small businesses and training programs to
invest their money. Therefore, the area of focus that needs the most attention is financial
education and assistance. The best practices presented in this report are proven models of the
projects that should continue in urban settings. The country feedback is consistent with these
recommendations and program officers have pointed to the most success with projects focused
on financial education and assistance and job training.
Country Office Recommendations:
Collaboration and Strategic Communication
Country offices suggested that Save the Children could have a greater impact by
increasing coordination with governments, corporations, and other NGOs that may be operating
in the same space. Zimbabwe indicated that there are many organizations performing great work
in urban areas, however, a lack of coordination and communication prevents collaboration and
partnership. Program officers in Zimbabwe recommends that Save the Children take a leading
role in developing a strategic communication plan for synchronizing all programs dedicated to
improving hunger and livelihoods throughout Zimbabwe and other urban areas within Africa.
Cultural Context
Vietnam country officers suggested that in order to serve urban populations most
effectively, practitioners must be willing to re- examine current urban programming efforts to
make sure that those initiatives are appropriate for each cultural context. Urban programs are not
universal across all regions and a cultural assessment of each country must be developed before
implementing any program. Understanding culture is a key factor in creating programs and
initiatives that will be successful in urban areas. Identifying innovative ways to communicate
with the targeted audience is critical to understanding their needs, concerns and values.
Communication Technologies
The recommendations gathered also show a trend toward introducing new information
communication technology systems to promote the exchange of information between
development organizations and local communities. Increasing the use of mobile phones and
internet kiosks could potentially lead to greater developments in education, employment,
banking, and entrepreneurship.
The key findings, recommendations, and best practices highlighted in this report are
critical to strengthening Save the Children’s urban hunger and livelihoods program.
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