Description
The purpose of the original VSLA model is to increase vulnerable women's economic empowerment, while serving as a platform for increasing awareness on different human rights related topics as well as increasing self-esteem and confidence. Building on this, the VSLA+ Model, developed in 2013, facilitates the creation of VSLA networks at higher levels up to the national arena, while providing different kinds of support to women based on their specific demands (leadership training, institution building, conflict resolution, etc.). Each level is enabled to become the natural counterpart of the local, district, provincial and national authorities to foster women's social and political participation. In the POWER project in Cote D'Ivoire, CARE has added gender action groups in each village, made up of village leaders, women and men, etc. to discuss generally all things gender and to act on village issues as identified. This leaves the VSLAs to still discuss some gender issues and to focus on savings, loan and business, while the process of community change is done in the gender action groups, similar to Ethiopia where VSLAs and Social Analysis and Action groups run in parallel.
Specifically, VSLAs that are focused on Food, Water, and Nutrition security often engage women through household businesses such as farming, creation and expansion of small businesses, and improving supply chains and collective marketing for households reliant on agriculture.
Overarching commitment (for commitments submitted pre-2025)
Title
Strengthening Social Protection
Description
Strengthening social protection and building efficient, inclusive local structures and systems, assisting vulnerable households to find sustainable pathways toward food, water and nutrition security, including in times of crisis or in contexts of chronic poverty where additional support is required. Interventions in this space will include in-kind food transfers, school feeding, vouchers, unconditional and conditional cash transfers, seed and input vouchers, and strengthening shock responsive safety nets, and building citizen and provider accountability mechanisms and relationships. The aim is to use such support to stimulate markets, promote good practice, and create improvements in sustainable community capacities, motivation, resources, and where feasible, linkages to market or governance systems, enabling households to graduate from safety net schemes as livelihoods are transformed. We will build on successes in influencing governments to develop, reform and implement policies and strategies that ensure social protection as a human right and as an instrument to reduce food, nutrition, and water insecurity.
GNR assessment
| Verification status |
Unverified
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| SMARTness index |
Low
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Details
| Target population characteristic |
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| Nutrition Action Classification(s) |
Policy >
Consumer knowledge
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| Linked event(s) |
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| N4G Summit theme(s) |
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Measurement
| Key indicator | Percent of program participants in VSLA or similar financial collection |
|---|
| Value | Measurement date | |
|---|---|---|
| Baseline | TBD | 2021 |
| Target | TBD | November 2030 |
Progress
| Value | Measurement date | |
|---|---|---|
| Progress report | As of FY23, 17.6 million people in 64 countries are VSLA members, with 1 million annual growth in membership. 296,000 women used formal financial services and 13.7 million women were members of VSLAs | November 2023 |
