SECURE LIVELIHOOD
Our main objective in this area is to strengthen the ability of disadvantaged people to make a living.
Enterprises development
ALFORD supports communities to healthily and sustainably living, to enhance their ability to earn an income. This ensures they have the financial security to meet their basic needs and reduce their vulnerability to external factors such as natural disaster, illness or economic and political instability.
A secure livelihood is dependent on a number of factors including personal skills and expertise, physical assets and functioning institutions, policies and laws. We work with agencies, institutions and networks that support local communities, including Ministries of Agriculture, regulatory bodies, training institutions, umbrella organisations and that represent and advocate on behalf of small-scale producers.
Identifying Markets
A significant element of work is focused on helping disadvantaged people identify markets for their products and making the most of the opportunities that the market offers.
Alford program Objectives
- Increase the access of the community to saving and credit through organized self-help groups
- Increase income for youths through agriculture development.
- Enhance the skills and capacities of youths in alternative livelihoods
- Increase the income of the farmers through agriculture development, use of technology, capacity-building and collective management and marketing
- Improve the skills and resources of microenterprises for poor and vulnerable women
Alford the Strategy has been developed, for specific activities listed under each of the components under it. For example:
1) Microfinance Strategy
- Promoting formation of self-help groups
- Promoting savings and credit activities in self-help groups
- Training the community members in self-help group management
- Linking self-help groups to banking institutions
2) Agriculture Development for Youths
- Training youths in agriculture development
- Organizing campaigns for youth participation in farming
- Providing agriculture inputs for youths to undertake farming
3) Alternative Livelihoods for Youths
- Provide educational scholarships for a certain number of high-merit youths to undertake further education
- Training and capacity building of youths in adopting new and alternative livelihood opportuities
- Establish computer centers for youths to generate alternative income
4) Agriculture Development and Community-based Collective Production and Marketing for farmers
- Improved agriculture trainings for farmers
- Provision of inputs and technology for farmers to increase production
- Training and capacity building in community-based collective marketing of the produce
- Promoting the formation of farmers’ cooperatives
5) Microenterprise Development Strategy for Women
- Identifying new and potential microenterprises for women
- Supporting women with seed capital in launching microenterprises
- Establishing marketing linkages and value chains for women undertaking microenterprises.