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Livelihoods and Microcredit/Microfinance
Conflict and disaster, whether natural or man-made, leave countless devastated communities in their wake each year. Survivors, faced with damage to their homes, ruined infrastructure, and a lack of social and economic support, face incredible hardship as they seek to rebuild their lives and livelihoods.
During the past two decades, International Medical Corps (IMC) has responded to complex emergencies, as well as to the challenges of transition, in more than more than 40 countries, states, regions, and territories on four continents. Such experience taught IMC that the effects of a disaster or conflict linger for years, even decades, and communities need extensive support if they are to rebuild successfully. As such, IMC’s livelihoods and microcredit/microfinance programs target groups of individuals from all walks of life—farmers, young mothers, AIDS orphans, minority groups, and many others—to increase the odds of improving a community’s long-term economic health and well-being. IMC provides opportunities for individuals to own and run small businesses and enhances the supportive relationship between business and the community.
International Medical Corps has designed effective livelihoods programs for a wide variety of communities. In Angola, for example, IMC distributed seeds and tools to drought-affected villages. In Somalia, IMC provided cash grants to community groups for basic infrastructure projects, such as garbage collection and public building rehabilitation. In Burundi, women's groups received cash grants to create market gardens and manufacture handicrafts. In Afghanistan, IMC offers cash for work for rural infrastructure projects such as cleaning canals and rebuilding irrigation systems, while also distributing seeds, tools, and fertilizers to jump-start production. In Kenya, IMC is now developing a program aimed at helping HIV-positive women earn income while working from home as seamstresses or handicraft producers, or with other HIV-positive women in cooperative bakeries or stores.
International Medical Corps recognizes that income-generation projects are key to establishing an economic foundation for advanced health and social programming, and now integrates these components in all of its programs.
During the past two decades, International Medical Corps (IMC) has responded to complex emergencies, as well as to the challenges of transition, in more than more than 40 countries, states, regions, and territories on four continents. Such experience taught IMC that the effects of a disaster or conflict linger for years, even decades, and communities need extensive support if they are to rebuild successfully. As such, IMC’s livelihoods and microcredit/microfinance programs target groups of individuals from all walks of life—farmers, young mothers, AIDS orphans, minority groups, and many others—to increase the odds of improving a community’s long-term economic health and well-being. IMC provides opportunities for individuals to own and run small businesses and enhances the supportive relationship between business and the community.
International Medical Corps has designed effective livelihoods programs for a wide variety of communities. In Angola, for example, IMC distributed seeds and tools to drought-affected villages. In Somalia, IMC provided cash grants to community groups for basic infrastructure projects, such as garbage collection and public building rehabilitation. In Burundi, women's groups received cash grants to create market gardens and manufacture handicrafts. In Afghanistan, IMC offers cash for work for rural infrastructure projects such as cleaning canals and rebuilding irrigation systems, while also distributing seeds, tools, and fertilizers to jump-start production. In Kenya, IMC is now developing a program aimed at helping HIV-positive women earn income while working from home as seamstresses or handicraft producers, or with other HIV-positive women in cooperative bakeries or stores.
International Medical Corps recognizes that income-generation projects are key to establishing an economic foundation for advanced health and social programming, and now integrates these components in all of its programs.
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