Household Economic Strengthening

Poverty is a leading cause of child separation. Families may be torn apart by the stresses of trying to provide for their basic needs, and children may be abandoned or exploited for financial purposes. Household economic strengthening aims to reduce a family’s vulnerability to poverty, increase economic independence, and improve people’s ability to provide for their children.

Economic strengthening alone will not prevent separation or protect children, and should form part of a comprehensive support package, including psychosocial work, community mobilisation, education, health, and family support. Household economic strengthening should also complement the wider government social assistance programmes, welfare sector initiatives, and child care policies. Beneficiaries should include those families which are destitute, poor, or vulnerable to poverty, including child headed households.

Economic empowerment is not possible without the active participation of the community in ensuring that those most in need are identified and that families are willing to commit to projects. Any initiative must have sustainability at its core; there must be a market demand for products and services, and activities should build on the existing strengths and resources of the community.

Household economic strengthening includes activities which help a family restore, improve and maintain their income, and build savings and assets. Projects may consist of relief assistance, grants and loans for income generating activities, technical and skills training, registered credit and savings associations, and legal advice on inheritance and property rights. Ideally such guidance and resources should come from specialised local organisations that can facilitate market research, identify those in need and the type of assistance required, and provide sustainable long-term support to beneficiaries.

The literature contained in this section offers recommendations and examples of household economic strengthening projects which support the protection of children.

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Uganda’s Senior Citizens’ Grant: A success story from the heart of Africa

Stephen Kidd, Development Pathways, 01 Jun 2018

In this paper Development Pathways’ Stephen Kidd discusses the success of Uganda’s Senior Citizens’ Grant (SCG), with evidence from the evaluation of the programme.

Economic Strengthening and Keeping Children in Family Care: Uganda Learning Event Compiled Notes and Presentations

ASPIRES Family Care, 29 May 2018

This report compiles presentations and notes from the Accelerating Strategies for Practical Innovation & Research in Economic Strengthening (ASPIRES) Family Care Uganda Learning Event, Economic Strengthening and Keeping Children in Family Care, held May 29-30, 2018.

Struggles, successes, and setbacks: Youth aging out of child welfare in a subsidized housing program

Lisa Schelbe - Children and Youth Services Review, 07 May 2018

This study used ethnographic data to examine a program providing subsidized apartments to youth aging out.

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Catalyzing Business Skills: For Youth - Trainer's Guide

Making Cents International, 01 Apr 2018

Making Cents International (Making Cents), in partnership with ChildFund International, developed the Catalyzing Business Skills curriculum for the Economic Strengthening to Keep and Reintegrate Children into Families (ESFAM) project in Uganda. This Trainer’s Guide is intended to be used with youth participating in savings groups who are interested in engaging in successful income generation activities.

Catalyzing Business Skills: For Children - Trainer's Guide

Making Cents International, 01 Apr 2018

Making Cents International (Making Cents), in partnership with ChildFund International, developed the Catalyzing Business Skills curriculum for the Economic Strengthening to Keep and Reintegrate Children into Families (ESFAM) project in Uganda. This Trainer’s Guide is intended to be used with children participating in savings groups who are interested in engaging in successful income generation activities.

Catalyzing Business Skills: For Caregivers - Trainer's Guide

Making Cents International, 01 Apr 2018

This curriculum aims to build the financial literacy and business knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for adult members of Economic Strengthening to Keep and Reintegrate Children into Families (ESFAM) savings groups to successfully generate income.

Let's Stop Trying to Quantify Household Vulnerability: The Problem With Simple Scales for Targeting and Evaluating Economic Strengthening Programs

Whitney M Moret - Global Health: Science and Practice, 01 Mar 2018

This article discusses efforts in 3 countries to develop simple, valid tools to quantify and classify economic vulnerability status.

ChildFund Deinstitutionalization of Vulnerable Children in Uganda (DOVCU) Final Report

ChildFund, 01 Mar 2018

This final report on the “Deinstitutionalization of Vulnerable Children in Uganda” (DOVCU) project identifies its successes as well as some shortcomings and key learning that is directly relevant to other projects working to support family care for children.

DOVCU Learning Brief 3: Examining the effects of DOVCU through a gender lens

ChildFund International, 2018

This learning brief analyzes quantitative data from both households at risk of separation and reintegrating households to understand how the “Deinstitutionalization of Orphans and Vulnerable Children Project in Uganda” (DOVCU) package of integrated social and economic interventions affects children and households differently depending on the sex of the child, caregiver, and/or household head.

Promoting Early Childhood Development Through Combining Cash Transfer and Parenting Programs

Ana-Maria Arriagada, Jonathan Perry, Laura Rawlings, Julieta Trias, and Melissa Zumaeta - World Bank Group, 2018

This note and the accompanying full technical paper examine the existing evidence and the potential for bringing together cash transfer programs and parenting interventions to improve child development outcomes, notably cognitive performance.