House#31, Umar Hayat Block, Khayaban-e-Quaid Housing Society,
Multan Road, opp. Mansoora, Lahore.
Ph: 0321-2322899 / 0312-4150066 | Email: hashmi.assiciate@gmail,com
Active Social Bodies
AAS FOUNDATION
The poorest, chronically food insecure households, with irregular income and little or no assets are often excluded from development interventions including microcredit. When they do receive assistance they are rarely able to improve their conditions enough to maintain long-term sustainable livelihoods. The model combines support for immediate food consumption with revolving livestock asset base to kick start an economic activity and provides, skills training, market linkages to adopt value addition practices under value chain perspective. The model gives recipients an 18-month period to develop sustainable livelihoods and graduate out of extreme poverty and hunger to address MDG # 1.
The model includes carefully sequenced interventions. The target population for the graduation model (the poorest) is too poor and too vulnerable to effectively use credit to purchase a productive asset. Hence the needs for an asset grant. Compulsory savings is introduced to build a culture of financial discipline. Regular group meetings and links to village elders build confidence and social networks. Finally an 18 month period of “management coaching” through 15 days household visits by staff, assist households to create a business plan and develop the confidence to stick to it.
The graduation criteria includes eating two meals a day, owning productive assets such as livestock, having multiple income sources, safe drinking water, sanitary latrines and children going to school. Market assessments, skills assessments and community assessments are then used to determine specific pathways on how this is to be achieved.