SIP Winter 2014 | Fundación Paraguaya by Social Innovation Projects (SIP)

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Mission Statement To develop and implement practical, innovative and sustainable solutions which eliminate poverty and create decent living conditions for every family.

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History In 1985, Fundación Paraguaya was created by a group of entrepreneurs and social leaders who were frustrated with the government’s incapacity to address issues of extreme poverty. The foundation aimed to help micro-‐entrepreneurs develop the necessary skills to start and manage their own businesses, thereby boosting their productivity and benefiting both the community and themselves. Since its inception, Fundación Paraguaya, a non-‐profit active throughout Paraguay, has been a pioneer organization in the empowerment of entrepreneurs via micro-‐credit loans and education.

Think About What’s your organization’s history? Where do you come from? What are your goals?

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Purpose The purpose of this manual is to prepare you to replicate the Poverty Stoplight method developed by Fundación Paraguaya. With this manual in hand, you will have ready access to the information necessary to effectively implement and adapt the method. As you read, take personalized notes of important ideas that come to mind. These will be helpful as you apply the Poverty Stoplight method to your area.

Change in Behavior Leads to Positive Influence Fundación Paraguaya’s Poverty Stoplight method recognizes that each individual is the main agent of his or her own personal and economic development. By helping individuals realize their innate potential, behavioral changes will occur that will facilitate their progression out of poverty. On a personal level, these changes occur as individuals realize the motivating factors behind their behaviors and respond by adopting more positive practices.

For example, Alisa will cook on the floor as she always has as long as she never becomes aware of the danger of cooking in such conditions. Although an organization such as Fundación Paraguaya may offer Alisa credit to buy a cook stove at a good price, Alisa will have no desire to accept the offer unless she has already changed her mindset and made hygiene one of her priorities. In other words, an individual’s behaviors will not improve until his or her mindset changes.

Once individuals adopt positive behaviors, they will share their newfound knowledge and skills with family members and friends, who will share it with others. This cycle of sharing will cause a chain reaction of behavioral change as social strength is utilized within family, friend, and community groups to motivate the adoption of ideal behaviors. This will result in greater development of both the family and the community at large.

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To enact behavioral change, individuals must incorporate these two questions into their daily decision-‐ making process.

1) Will it be worth it? This involves the motivation of an individual.

2) Will I be able to do what it takes? This involves the skill of an individual.

Posing these questions allows individuals to identify which areas of their lives can be improved. If individuals are able to identify such needs, they can find the right solutions to produce lasting change.

This diagram shows how the behaviors of each individual influence the community. When individuals learn new skills, they create new, positive possibilities for personal, familiar and social empowerment and change. Because poverty-‐related issues can be solved through individual behavioral changes, each individual has the ability to redefine themselves and their community.

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The following chart is a visual representation of the chain reaction that an individual can start within society. This chart can be applied not only to societies connected by geography or culture, but to non-‐ communal systems, such as companies or corporations.

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The following table is a valuable tool to help you analyze the motivations behind the specific behaviors of those in your community. The example provided uses questions that Alisa might have asked herself in her process of behavioral change.

Read through the questions on the table and reflect upon how they relate to you and your circumstances. Think about how this theory of positive change can impact your community. Based on Joseph Grenny’s theory of positive influence and Ken Wilbur’s theory of personal empowerment, Fundación Paraguaya has designed a tool to assess the situation and progression of impoverished individuals and families. It is called the “Poverty Stoplight.” (This method will be explained in greater depth in the following chapter.)

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Poverty is Multidimensional Poverty has many more dimensions than people realize. For example, although a family may have a per-‐capita income above the national poverty line, they may still be poor due to a lack of decent housing, clean water, access to education or other requirements for a decent life. This means that each family must address several significant factors in order to fully overcome poverty.

Overcoming poverty is like constructing a bridge. In order to make it to the other side, a sufficient number of pillars must be built in order to fully support the bridge all the way across. For example, if a family is only provided with economic support, its basic needs will not be met in full and it will be unable to complete its journey out of poverty.

Fundación Paraguaya has created a method that addresses the major dimensions (or pillars) of poverty, which are: (1) Income and Employment (2) Health and Environment (3) Housing and Infrastructure (4) Education and Culture (5) Organization and Participation (6) Interiority and Motivation. These six dimensions are measured using 50 specific indicators. We will discuss these dimensions and indicators in detail in Chapter 2.

By improving and strengthening each of these six dimensions, families will be equipped to successfully overcome their unique variations of poverty. 10

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Methodology The Poverty Stoplight method has been extremely successful in its poverty-‐elimination efforts due to its ability to measure poverty according to six dimensions instead of treating poverty as a one-‐ dimensional phenomenon. Another important part of the Poverty Stoplight is its focus on families. Because of the importance of the family unit in supporting individual behavioral change and creating unified goals, and since many poverty-‐related issues are most effectively solved at the family level, the Poverty Stoplight method focuses on the family as the main protagonist for poverty-‐elimination. Using the Poverty Stoplight method, poverty is gauged through an image-‐based survey that asks specific questions about each of the indicators you will learn about in Chapter 2. When taking the survey, families conceptualize various levels of poverty (extremely poor, poor, and not poor), then choose the level that best corresponds to their situation. For example, when assessing an family's access to water, respondents are shown pictures and explanations of a faucet (not poor), a well (poor) and a woman carrying a bucket of water (extremely poor), and are then asked to choose which of the descriptions best corresponds to their situation. Once the respondent has completed the survey, the family is able to view in chart format their poverty level in each of the six abovementioned dimensions. By assessing poverty according to this method, families are able to realize which dimensions of their lives are most deplete. This, then, allows them to create a personalized poverty-‐elimination plan modeled after their own needs, goals and abilities. In addition, this same assessment can be used to measure the poverty of the entire community in order to encourage families to work together towards broader poverty-‐elimination goals.

Conclusion Poverty does not affect families uniformly. Each poor family is poor in its own way and, therefore, each has a different set of poverty-‐related problems to resolve before it can fully overcome poverty. By focusing on the six dimensions of poverty and their 50 indicators, families become the main protagonists in creating and implementing their personalized development plans.

What to Remember • •

•

When individuals choose to adopt more positive behaviors, these behaviors will spread to the family and then the community as a whole. There is no “one-‐size-‐fits-‐all” for poverty elimination; poverty is different for every family. The Poverty Spotlight survey accurately measures the different dimensions of poverty on a personal level and motivates individuals and families to adopt positive behaviors.

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The 50 indicators of the Poverty Stoplight self-‐assessment survey mentioned in Chapter 1 function both as a tool to measure poverty and as a system to evaluate family progress. Families will apply these indicators to their own situations with the support and guidance of advisors like you. Application of the Poverty Stoplight method will allow you to establish a baseline for each family from which you can determine the necessary actions and goals to take to help families move out of poverty. It will also allow families to self-‐ diagnose their basic needs, set targets for progression for each indicator and fully integrate family members in their own plan for poverty elimination. In addition, once many families in a given territory have taken the survey, the results-‐based management technology can be used to achieve targets on a community level.

Each of the 50 indicators contain the following elements:

A definition to help you better understand the indicator and to help families determine their correct level of poverty.

Three different levels of poverty with associated colors like a traffic light.

Pictures associated with each of the three levels of poverty that should be used to help families visualize their level of poverty and to help those who struggle to read or understand the language identify their level of poverty visually.

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Application questions to guide you in helping families understand each indicator more fully, realize their true situation and create specific goals to move up to a higher poverty level for that indicator.

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The green, yellow and red colored poverty levels shown below are included for each of the indicators and identify how poor a family is in that indicator.

Level 3 -‐ No Poverty Level 2 -‐ Poverty Level 1 -‐ Extreme Poverty

The family is not poor in this indicator; the indicator is sufficiently present or has been fully achieved. The family is poor in this indicator; the indicator is insufficient or is in the process of being achieved. The family is extremely poor in this indicator; the indicator has not been achieved.

As you prepare to apply the Poverty Stoplight tool in your area, it is important for you to remember that just as poverty is multi-‐dimensional and different for each family, it is also different for each culture and in every area of the world. Remember that these indicators were created to meet the needs of a specific area and, therefore, may or may not apply to your area in the same way or at all. In addition, your area may have additional needs that are not included in the indicators below. As you read through the indicators and application questions and look at the pictures, take notes about which indicators may not be as applicable and what other indicators may need to be added to adapt this tool specifically to your needs. More details and tips about replication of the Poverty Stoplight method will be laid out in Chapter 3.

Any thoughts?

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Income & Employment

1. Income Above the Poverty Line Definition: The poverty line is usually constructed by firstly estimating the cost of a basic food basket

that meets nutritional requirements, and next the cost of basic non-‐food basket needs. The monthly cost per person of the food basket is called the extreme poverty line and that of the total basket (including Health & nEeeds) nvironment non-‐food is called the general poverty line. Level 3: Family income is above the poverty line.

Housing & Infrastructure

Level 2: Family income is below the general poverty line and above the extreme poverty line.

Level 1: Family income is below the extreme poverty line.

How is the poverty line measured in your area? What income level is the extreme poverty line? What income level is the general poverty line?

Education & Culture 2. Stable Income Definition: Family income which does not vary significantly from month to month. Occasional variations, such as thirteenth month bonus, are not included. In the case of farmers whose income is seasonal, the variation will be measured in relation to the production cycle of the main activity. Levels 3: Family income does Level 2: Family income varies not vary more than 15% month more than 15% and up to 30% to m onth f or 6 m onths. S econd from month to month. In the Organization & Participation part: In the case of farmers, case of farmers, the last two the last two cycles of their cycle of their main activity shall main activity shall be be compared. compared.

Level 1: Family income varies more than 30% from month to month. In the case of farmers, the last two cycle of their main activity shall be compared.

Interiority & Motivation

How does a stable income help support a stable well-‐being? Is farming prevalent in your area? What other lines of work in your area are seasonal? 16

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3. Credit Definition: The family has access to formal non-‐usurious credit under market conditions. Levels 3: At least one family member has access to formal productive credit under market conditions.

Level 2: One family member has access to informal credit only.

Level 1: The family has no access to any informal or formal credit. It may only have access to usurious credit.

How does credit facilitate the production growth of the family? How accessible is productive credit? What would constitute an extremely poor access to credit? How prevalent is informal credit? How prevalent is usurious credit? Are these factors you should consider in your survey?

4. Family Savings Definition: The part of the family’s income that is not spent, but saved in cash for future needs. Levels 3: The family currently has savings and has established a structured saving habit for at least the last six months.

Levels 2: The family has been saving for less than six months and/or has saved occasionally.

Levels 1: The family has never or almost never saved.

How does saving money increase family well-‐being? What different methods of saving have you observed? Which methods of saving function the best?

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5. Diversified Source of Income Definition: The family has more than one source of income. Sources are considered separate when they are generated by different people or by other businesses/jobs carried out by one person. Levels 3: There are at least two sources of income from different family members.

Level 2: There are at least two sources of income from one family member.

Level 1: The family has only one source of income.

How does diversified income reduce family dependency? What other sources of income are available for the family (i.e. remittances, revenues, leases, etc.)?

6. Documentation: Identity Card Definition: Identification document issued by the state which can be used for almost any purpose including access to financial services, voting and state social services.

Levels 3: All family members of age have a valid identity card.

Levels 2: All family members of age have a valid identity card, although the document of one or more has expired.

Level 1: At least one family member who is of age does not have an identity card.

What identification document or card allows access to services within the society? What is the process of documentation? Where are the nearest state documentation offices? 18

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7. Access to Drinking Water Definition: The family has constant access to drinking water for people and animals. Water is without risk of disease, contains no hazardous substances for health and has been treated for human consumption. Levels 3: The family has constant access -‐during most of the day-‐ to drinking water within the family plot of land. There is a tap with running water.

Level 2: The family has access to drinking water, but: (a) it is not constant, they do not have water most of the day, or, (b) they do not have a water tap, or (c) drinking water is located at least 100 meters outside the family plot of land.

Level 1: The water the family drinks is not safe water or they have to walk more than 100 meters from their house to get it.

How accessible is water in your area? What resources and information are available to help families sterilize their water?

8. Nearby Health Post Definition: The family has physical and economic access to an active health center less than an hour away. The center provides basic health services including emergency response, general medicine and sale of medications. Levels 3: The family has physical and economic access to a health center less than an hour from their home.

Level 2: The family has affordable access to a Health Center but it is located more than an hour away from their home or the Health Center is less than an hour away but they cannot afford to pay it.

Level 1: The nearest health centers providing basic services are more than 1 hour away from the family home and are not within their economic possibilities.

How accessible and affordable are health centers? What is the quality of the health centers? Are they adequate enough to address the majority of potential family emergencies? Is transportation available to a different health center that is within reasonable proximity?

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9. Nutritious Food Definition: The family has access to nutritious food and is able to maintain a healthy diet. The Body Mass Index (BMI) is used to accurately reflect the nutritional level of the family. If the BMI cannot be measured, then the eating patterns and family diet are analyzed. The family should consume three meals a day and maintain a healthy diet throughout the week that includes: 1-‐Beef, chicken or fish 2-‐Milk and/or derivatives 3-‐Mixed vegetables 4-‐Eggs 5-‐Assorted fruit 6-‐Rice & noodles 7-‐Potato/sweet potato 8-‐Beans,

Level 3: All family members are within the healthy BMI (18.50-‐ 24.99). • (If BMI measurement is not available) All members of the family consume a sufficient amount of the weekly required components of the healthy diet listed in the definition and have at least three meals a day.

Level 2: At least one member of the family is within the obese (⥸ 30.00), moderately underweight (< 17,00) or severely underweight (< 16.00) BMI. • (If BMI measurement is not available) The family diet does not include all weekly required components listed in the definition and not all family members have three meals a day.

Level 1: More than one member of the family are within the obese (⥸ 30.00), moderately underweight (< 17,00) or severely underweight (< 16.00) BMI. • (If BMI measurement is not available) The family diet does not include at least six of the weekly required components listed in the definition and/or the family does not regularly have three meals a day.

Are you able collect or measure the BMI information of families? If not, what are some methods you can adopt in order to do so accurately? Do the components of the healthy diet listed match family needs in your area? What specific foods constitute a healthy diet in your area? What adjustments are necessary if any?

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10. Personal Hygiene and Sexual Health

Definition: The family practices good hygiene and takes appropriate care of their sexual and reproductive health. Level 3: Family members bathe and brush their teeth every day, wash their hands whenever they have used the bathroom and before eating and preparing food, and (b) The family home looks clean and tidy, and (c) adults in the family have family planning knowledge and apply it, and (d) they have gynecological and prenatal checkups as required.

Level 2: The family does not have all the hygienic habits described for Level 3 and/or not all its members comply with them and/or adults in the family do not know or do not apply family planning principles and do not perform the gynecological and prenatal checkups as required.

Level 1: The family and/or house clearly show lack of hygiene. They have no knowledge of family planning principles nor do they have gynecological or prenatal checkups as required.

Why is it important for the family to live healthy hygiene habits, have family planning knowledge, and take care of their sexual health? What is an appropriate yet direct way for you to inquire about family planning and sexual health issues when you conduct surveys of different families?

11. Healthy Teeth and Eyesight Definition: The family has healthy teeth and eyesight. Level 3: The family has no teeth or eyesight problems or, if they do, they are being properly treated.

Level 2: At least one member of the family has teeth or eyesight problems and is not being treated.

Level 1: The family does not treat their teeth and/or eyesight problems.

How can good teeth and eyesight increase the productivity of the family? How can you encourage the family to obtain these services if they currently do not? How accessible and affordable is teeth and eyesight care in your area? 22

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12. Vaccinations Definition: Organic principle or virus that protect people from more serious diseases that can be fatal or cause irreversible consequences.

Level 3: Family members are vaccinated against the most serious diseases and which are considered compulsory.

Level 2: Family members are partially vaccinated against major diseases: they are not vaccinated against all diseases or not every member of the family is vaccinated.

Level 1: No family member is vaccinated.

Which vaccines are compulsory in your area? What are the long-‐term benefits of vaccinations for the family? What prevents the family from getting vaccinated? How can you encourage the family to get vaccinated and educate them on the importance of vaccinations?

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13. Garbage Disposal

Definition: The family disposes of their garbage appropriately either (a) placing it where established for collection and canalization into garbage dumps, landfills, etc., or (b) appropriately disposing of the garbage in their own house. Level 3: The family disposes of their waste adequately until the time of its collection and final disposal in a garbage dump or disposes of their waste by burying the organic waste in a hole at least 50 m. away from a water source, crop or housing and recycling their inorganic waste.

Level 2: There is no public or private garbage collection system or the family does not use it and/or buries their garbage in a covered hole that is not 50 meters away from a water source, crop in the field or housing and/or does not separate its organic and inorganic waste.

Level 1: The family disposes of their garbage inadequately causing contamination and health problems: they burn it, throw it on their premises in the open air and/or near houses/water sources or crops. They throw their garbage in a hole, a stream, plot of land or street.

How does appropriate disposal of garbage reflect the family’s concern for the community environment? How does it increase family well-‐being? What are all the different methods of garbage collection and disposal in your area? How can the methods for garbage disposal be made healthier for the family and the environment?

14. Unpolluted Environment Definition: The environment around the family is free of inappropriate odors (from industries, cattle production, etc.), insects, waste (mining or urban waste in the ground), agro-‐chemical substances (pesticides), or poor garbage treatment. Level 3: The family lives in a healthy environment that does not endanger their health or the environment.

Level 2: The family lives in a generally healthy environment, but which occasionally presents some of the problems described in the definition.

Level 1: The family lives in an environment that is not healthy, as described in the definition.

What other factors or practices cause environmental pollution in your area? What can the family do to combat environmental pollution in their area? 24

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15. Insurance Definition: The family has access to insurance covering at least two aspects of their life. This includes: life, health, burial, unemployment, vehicle and other asset insurance. Level 3: The family has access to at least two insurances.

Level 2: The family has access to at least one insurance.

Level 1: The family does not have access to any kind of insurance.

What different types of insurance are available in your area? Which are most accessible, affordable, and applicable/useful for families? How does having insurance allow the family to be protected from future events?

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16. Safe Home Definition: A home is considered safe if the ceiling protects the family from the outdoors, the outer windows and doors have resistant locks and the floor is made of sturdy material. The purpose of the home is to protect belongings, to provide safety and to comfort and facilitate more dynamic family relationships. Level 3: The house: (a) has tile roof, zinc sheet or reinforced concrete roof, (b) solid wood walls, cement or fired material, (c) external w indows and doors of solid wood or m etal and all close securely using padlocks, locks, resistant bolts or other similar items, and (d) has a floor of sturdy material: bricks, tiles, cement, ceramic or similar.

Level 2: The house does not have any one of the safety components described for Level 3.

Level 1: The house does not have several of the safety components described for Level 3.

What are the walls, ceilings, doors, and floors of the home made of? What are the most sturdy materials available to ensure a safe home? What is being used to ensure that the home is being locked adequately? Does the family feel safe and secure in their home? Why or why not? What can be done to make the home more safe?

17. Sanitary Latrine and Sewer

Definition: The family needs to dispose of their excreta appropriately to take care of the health of its members and collaborate with the well-‐being of the community and the environment. A sanitary latrine and sewer are clean structures that provide privacy to the individual as well as provide a good waste-‐ disposal system for the family. Level 3: The family has a m odern bathroom with (a) toilet (WC), (b) cistern inside, (c) ensures privacy, (d) has a good flushing system, and e) is kept clean.

Level 2: The family has a sanitary latrine and modern bathroom that does not meet the requirements listed for Level 3.

Level 1: The family has no bathroom: only a hole, pit, or latrine outside the house that isn’t sanitary and doesn’t meet the requirements for Level 3.

How is the family’s waste-‐disposal system organized? How can the system be made more efficient and sanitary? What is the rest of the community doing to contribute to an effective waste-‐disposal system? How does the family’s system connect with the community’s?

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18. Electricity

Definition: Access to constant electricity is a modern day requirement in the home that enables food preservation, greater comfort and greater access to information. Level 3: The family has constant and legal access to electricity.

Level 2: The family has access to electricity, but access is illicit and/or insufficient (not constant).

Level 1: The family does not have access to electricity.

How is electricity obtained in the family’s household? If access to electricity is illicit, what needs to be done to make it legal for use? How constant is the electricity flow to the family home?

19. Refrigerator and Other Household Appliances Definition: Any appliance, tool or machine used in the home that uses electricity, for example: washing machines, cooking stoves, refrigerators, etc. These are necessary elements of comfort in modern life. Level 3: The family has a refrigerator and other household appliances (i.e. microwave, toaster, stove, etc.).

Level 2: The family has at least a refrigerator.

Level 1: The family has no refrigerator.

How do appliances provide for family well-‐being? If a family does not have a refrigerator, how do they preserve food? What other appliances can help them do that? What goals need to be set to get a refrigerator? Which is the second most important appliance for the family to

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20. Separate Bedrooms Definition: Adequate housing provides sufficient space, safety and privacy to children, adolescents (12-‐ 18 years) and adults in the family. This avoids overcrowding and coexistence in the same bedroom. Level 3: The three groups mentioned in the definition sleep in separated bedrooms.

Level 2: Some of the three groups mentioned in the definition share the bedroom.

Level 1: The three groups mentioned in the definition share the bedroom.

What is your own definition of privacy? What is the family’s definition of privacy? What actions can be taken to ensure adequate space and privacy for all family members if separate rooms are not available? Which family members have priority in receiving their own rooms?

21. Elevated Cook Stove with Ventilation Definition: Food is cooked on a stove 80cm above the ground so that food is not in danger of contamination. There is sufficient ventilation so that the smoke does not saturate the cooking/eating

Level 3: The family has a cook stove above the ground and in a ventilated area, and uses it.

Level 2: The family has a cook stove above the ground, but not sufficiently ventilated or does not use it.

Level 1: The family does not have a cook stove above the ground.

What is blocking ventilation in the family home? How far from the ground is the cook stove? If food is cooked on the floor, what can be changed so that preparing food is a more sanitary practice? What do neighbors do to make their cooking more sanitary and safe?

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22. Comfort in the Household Definition: The home has: (a) sufficient chairs, tables and cutlery for all family members, (b) a sufficient number of beds for all family members, (c) fans or air conditioners. This furniture ensures minimum comfort in two important aspects of family life: food and rest. Level 3: The family has the three elements described in the definition.

Level 2: The family lacks one of the elements described in the definition (they do not have at all or not in sufficient quantity).

Level 1: The family lacks two or more of the elements described in the definition (they do not have at all or do not have in sufficient quantity).

What does comfort mean to you? What tends to be the center of the home and how can it be made more comfortable? How does good ventilation facilitate educational studying and work by mitigating seasonal temperatures?

23. Regular Means of Transportation Definition: The family has regular access to their own means of transport (car, motorcycle, bicycle, cart pulled by horse, etc.) or collective means of transport that is available at least every two hours (bus, taxi, etc.). Level 3: The family has their own means of transport (car, motorcycle, bicycle or cart) available when they need it and/or access to buses providing regular service.

Level 2: The family has access to relatively frequent buses (that pass by at least every two hours) but they are not always available when needed.

Level 1: The family has no means of transport of their own or public transport in their area is irregular (they have to wait more than two hours).

What is the most reliable form of transportation in your area? What are some better (more reliable, more economically friendly, quicker, etc.) alternatives to the family’s current means of transportation? If transportation is not available, where can families find a reliable source? From the resources already available, how can the family make a more reliable source of transportation? What are the long-‐term economic costs and benefits of using public transportation vs. investing in private transportation? 30

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24. All-‐weather Access Road Definition: The access road between the family home and community services, markets, and supply centers can be traveled on by motorized vehicles without the need of four-‐wheel drive, regardless of the weather. Level 3: The road that connects the family home to the nearest urban center is asphalted, cobbled, paved or gravel, and is accessible all the time even in rainy periods.

Level 2: The road that connects the family home is a dirt road or its gravel is in a bad state and it is hard to use in times of strong or continual rainfall.

Level 1: The way that connects to the family home is a dirt road and becomes hard to use with the slightest bad weather.

How can the road to the family’s home be made more easily accessible? What materials are needed in order to be able to do so? Which motorized means of transport are the easiest to use on the all-‐weather access road? Which are the most difficult to use?

25. Fixed Line or Cellular Phone Definition: The family has telephone service via a fixed or mobile line that rapidly connects them to the world.

Level 3: The family has constantly available fixed or cellular telephone service.

Level 2: The family has fixed or cellular telephone service but it is not constantly available.

Level 1: The family does not have any telephone service.

What is telephone service like in the area? How reliable is it? What is the most efficient telephone service provider that the family can afford? Which household member is in the most need of telephone service?

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26. Security Definition: The family and their property are not threatened by acts of physical violence in their neighborhood. Level 3: No member of the family has suffered acts of violence in their neighborhood or against their property in the last 6 months; nor are such events usual in their neighborhood.

Level 2: Some member of the family suffered an act of violence in their neighborhood or against their property in the past 6 months or these are usual events in their neighborhood.

Level 1: The family suffered more than one act of violence in their neighborhood or against their property in the past 6 months.

What is the family’s definition of security? What actions and safety precautions can be learned and put into practice to ensure a more secure environment? What constitutes an act of violence?

27. Sufficient and Appropriate Clothing Definition: The family has sufficient clothing to protect them from the weather and is able to change clothes daily. Shoes are suited for the season: light for summer and warm for winter. Level 3: All members of the family have sufficient season-‐ appropriate clothing and shoes.

Level 2: Family members have season-‐appropriate clothing and shoes, but the quantity is insufficient.

Level 1: The family lacks proper clothing and shoes in sufficient

What is the warmest/coolest type of fabric available for families in order to cope with winter/summer conditions? How accessible and affordable is clothing for families? If shopping is not an option, what other means does the family have of obtaining clothing (sewing, family, donations, etc.)? 32

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28. Knows How to Read and Write Definition: Family members of age know how to read and write in their native language, can understand simple and complex texts and can express their ideas in writing in an understandable way. Reading and writing enhances communication and integration within the society, provides greater economic opportunities, enables understanding of the news, enhances personal development, is culturally enriching and increases collaboration in children’s education. Level 3: All adult members of the family are able to read, write and understand the native language.

Level 2: Adult members are able to read simple texts in the native language but have difficulty understanding them and cannot write paragraphs that others can understand.

Level 1: At least one adult member of the family cannot read and/or write in the native language.

Which family members struggle to read or write, and what free resources or strategies are available for improvement? What are the common obstacles to literacy improvement among adults, and how can those obstacles be overcome? What time of day will be dedicated to improving reading and writing skills? How can improved literacy benefit the family in economically, socially and culturally?

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29. Children with Minimum Required Schooling Definition: Education up to a middle school level is the minimum a young person (under 18) requires to perform basically in modern economy. Level 3: All members of the family under 18 years of age go to school or have completed the minimum schooling required.

Level 2: Not all the members of the family under 18 years of age go to school or have completed the minimum schooling required.

Level 1: More than one family member does not go to school or has not completed the minimum schooling required.

How does obtaining a minimum education help prepare young people for an occupation and to become contributors in society? What is the minimum grade level required for a young person in your area? What are some obstacles in keeping children from going to school? If getting to school is an issue, what/where is the nearest form of transportation available to take children to school? If getting to school is an issue, who can teach the child? When?

30. Expertise and Skills to Generate Income Definition: The family has expertise and skills to generate income, obtain and maintain employment, appropriately manage their assets, develop and market their products, reduce costs and diversify their suppliers in order to leave poverty behind. Level 3: At least one family member is equipped with the necessary expertise and skills to generate income and has implemented new strategies to constantly do so.

Level 2: At least one family member is equipped with the necessary expertise and skills to generate income and has occasionally implemented new strategies to do so.

Level 1: The family is not equipped with the necessary expertise and skills to generate new income and has never implemented new strategies to do so.

What are the most promising local business strategies that can be implemented to generate income? If family members are not able to innovate and implement new strategies to generate income, what is impeding them and how can they overcome this challenge? What skills and talents can be used in creative ways to generate income? What resources/network opportunities are available to better new business ideas? What business skills and organizational strategies should be emphasized in improving the business?

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31. Capacity to Plan and Budget Definition: The family is able to use and follow a written budget to help them plan their short, medium and long term economic future. Level 3: The family has a business plan and a monthly budget in writing that both permanently govern the family’s economic decisions.

Level 2: The family has a business plan and a budget in writing, but does not use them regularly.

Level 1: The family does not have a business plan or a budget, or does not use them.

How do planning and budgeting increase family productivity and well-‐being? How much time would a short, medium and long term plan cover? Where and how could families preserve and organize their plans and budgets? What resources are there to educate the family in financial planning?

32. Communication and Social Capita Definition: The family has a broad social network that includes several areas and people of different social levels due to their ability to communicate with others. Level 3: The family has a broad social network. They are part of several groups and have many contacts that they refer to in order to generate business opportunities and improve their quality of life.

Level 2: At least one family member has a network within their immediate surroundings, but does not have other social networks.

Level 1: Family members do not have social networks other than their family.

How does having a broad social network facilitate family development in all areas? What community groups are there (religious, neighborhood, recreational, etc.)? What obstacles impede some families from communicating and connecting with their society? How can you encourage or facilitate the family’s integration into society? 36

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33. School Supplies and Books Definition: School-‐age family members have all the necessary supplies to succeed in school (pencils, exercise books, crayons, scissors, reading books and school handbooks recommended by the teacher, etc.) Level 3: School-‐age children have all the necessary school supplies and books required for success in their school work.

Level 2: School-‐aged children have most of the school supplies required for success, but not all of them.

Level 1: School-‐aged children do not have the required school supplies.

Why is it so important for children to have all of the necessary school supplies? What materials constitute a necessary school supply? If children do not have the required school supplies, what is keeping them from obtaining the supplies and how can they gain access to them?

34. Access to Information (Radio and TV) Definition: The family has a radio or TV that they use to watch the news (national and international), as well as educational and recreational programs. This allows the family to actively participate in society and access information for their education, entertainment and career as they become aware of current events and issues in their community and the world. Level 3: The family has a television and/or radio in their home to access a variety of programs: news, political and educational. The family is aware of the latest national and international events, not only of sporting events.

Level 2: The family has a television and/or radio in their home, but they are not very aware of the latest national and international news. They use their radio and/or TV mostly for recreation.

Level 1: The family has no radio or television in their home, nor are they aware of the latest national and international news.

NONE

Which radio and TV programs are the most informative and educational? How can the correct use of radio and TV assist adults in thinking critically and actively participating in society? How can it facilitate children’s learning? How can you encourage families to better gain and better utilize their access to information?

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35. Entertainment and Recreation Definition: The family has a place where they participate in leisure activities such as play, relaxation and entertainment, in order to take a break from work and worries. Level 3: All family members have several sources of entertainment each week.

Level 2: Most family members have very few sources of entertainment each week.

Level 1: Most family members do not have sources of entertainment or have them only sporadically.

What sources of entertainment and leisure activities are available in the community? How can family members work together to create a space in their home that’s inviting and relaxing? What can be done to ensure that each age group in the family receives the appropriate entertainment and recreation? How does having sources of entertainment and leisure activities each week contribute to overall well-‐being for all family members?

36. Values Cultural Tradition and Historical Heritage Definition: Cultural Traditions: Appreciation of the value which has been inherited from previous generations. Traditions include: values, beliefs, customs and forms of artistic expression (oral storytelling, dance, music, etc.) which are characteristic of the community to which the family belongs. Historical Heritage: Material or intangible assets accumulated over time that may be artistic, historical, archaeological, documentary, bibliographical, scientific or technical. Level 3: The family recognizes various cultural traditions or assets of historical heritage, is proud of them and makes them part of their life.

Level 2: The family does not recognize many cultural traditions or assets of historical heritage, nor is it proud of the

Level 1: The family does not recognize or shows no interest in its cultural traditions or historical heritage nor are they proud of them.

If the family is not proud of their cultural traditions or historical heritage what may be some of the root causes? In what ways can the family participate in cultural or historic activities in the community? How does the celebration of traditional holidays, music, stories and history help the family feel pride in their culture and a sense of personal worth? 38

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37. Respects Other Cultures Definition: The family respects and values cultural and ethnic differences. They treat all individuals who do not share the same ideas, religion, language, race, ethnicity, lifestyle, sexual orientation, etc. as equals. Level 3: All family members respect individuals of diverse backgrounds and beliefs.

Level 2: Most family members respect individuals of diverse backgrounds and beliefs.

Level 1: Family members do not respect individuals of diverse backgrounds and beliefs.

What positive interactions has the family had with individuals of diverse backgrounds and beliefs? What did they learn from this experience and how did it help them become more understanding of diversity? If family members feel uncomfortable around individuals of diverse backgrounds, what information can be shared with the family to help the members feel more comfortable? What cultural bonds can be created or strengthened in the community through public gatherings and activities?

38. Awareness of Human Rights (for Children, Disabled, Women, and Elderly) Definition: Human rights are sacred, inalienable, imprescriptible rights inherent in individuals that are beyond the scope of political power. Human rights protect vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, the disabled, women and children (especially from child labor). Level 3: All family members are aware of the natural rights of women, children, the elderly and the disabled. They respect these rights and act in such a way as to encourage others to respect their rights.

Level 2: Most family members have a general idea of the existence of human rights, but cannot specify them. Groups in the household are not exploited or disrespected.

Level 1: Either women, children, the elderly or the disabled in the household are exploited or disrespected in violation of their rights.

What resources are available to help family members realize their natural rights? What are the biggest abuses of human rights in your area and what community or family outreach programs can be established to eliminate such abuses? How can knowing about and respectfully observing the natural rights of all people increase the strength and comradery of the community? Is there anything that can be done to make homes, buildings and other services more accessible to the disabled and elderly?

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39. Are Part of a Self-‐help Group Definition: Family members join community groups with those who share similar problems or needs in order to express themselves and feel supported. Level 3: One or more family members permanently belong to two or more groups.

Level 2: One of more family members permanently belong to a group.

Level 1: No family member permanently belongs to a group.

What groups are available in the community? Are there religious groups, neighborhood groups, women’s organizations, professional organizations, or sports clubs? What needs are there in the community that could be met through the creation of a new self-‐help group? What resources are available to start a new group and who could lend their talents?

40. Influence on Public Sector Definition: The family is able to enact change in their communities through effective organization and political participation. Level 3: One or more family members petition to the public sector on a regular basis whenever there is a problem in the community and has successfully resolved it in at least one occasion.

Level 2: One or more family members have petitioned the public sector occasionally to solve a problem of the community and never succeeded.

Level 1: No family member has ever petitioned the authorities to solve a problem in their community.

In what ways can individuals participate or enact change in their communities? Do individuals have access to their representatives or leaders? Are community grievances addressed by the government? Can individuals in the community run for office or create political parties?

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41. Problem and Conflict-‐solving Ability Definition: A measure of how well a family is able to address increasingly complex problems and conflicts both within the home and in the community without avoiding or delegating the responsibility to others for their solution. Level 3: The family recognizes when problems and conflicts arise and adopt an assertive behavior: they solve all the problems and conflicts that arise. They address them positively and do not avoid them.

Level 2: The family recognizes when there are problems. On occasions they are able to address and/or solve some of them, but other times they blame others or the system, without seeing the influence they could have.

Level 1: The family does not admit there is a problem. They might say that the problems are due to bad luck. When confronted with conflicts, they evade the responsibility. They expect others to solve the problem.

How does the family find solutions to resolve conflicts? How do other members of the community handle similar situations? Are there large-‐scale issues in the community that need to be addressed? What psychological, counseling, or other resources are available in the community for those struggling to successfully resolve conflict? What is the overall attitude of the head of the family with regards to conflict? What are the largest sources of conflict in the family?

42. Are Registered Voters and Vote in Elections Definition: Adults in the family are able to register to vote and do vote in general and municipal elections. Level 3: All family members are registered voters and usually vote in elections.

Level 2: All family members are registered voters and sometimes vote in elections.

Level 1: Not all family members are registered voters.

What is the process to register to vote in the community? Do adults in the family have all the necessary identification to register? Are all adult members of the community able to register and to vote? Are registration sites and ballot boxes in an accessible location to those in the community? If not, what governmental policies can be implemented to allow for easier access to registration and voting for community members? Are community members aware of municipal and general elections? 42

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43. Awareness of Needs and Potential (Goals/Targets) Definition: The family is aware their true needs go beyond those of basic housing and nutrition. Therefore, they set short, medium and long-‐term goals to meet those needs. Level 3: The family has the capacity to reflect and understand they present situation, and imagine how it could be different. They have concrete targets for the short, medium and long term and know how to reach them.

Level 2: The family has the capacity to reflect on their present situation, and imagine how it could be different but do not have concrete targets or only have short term targets.

Level 1: The family only is aware of their basic needs for food, housing and immediate surroundings. Although they are not content, they might feel protected the way things are. They do not imagine living differently.

Which aspects of the family’s life do they want to improve? What long-‐term targets does the family have for its well-‐being? What short & medium-‐term goals are necessary to achieve those long-‐term targets? Has the family written down its goals? Which steps does the family take steps every day to achieve its targets? How are the family’s behaviors contributing to or inhibiting its ability to achieve those targets?

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44. Self-‐confidence (Self-‐esteem) Definition: Family members in the family trust their ability to interact with others and to accomplish their goals. Their confidence is reflected both externally and internally in their societal relationships, personal standards and goals. Level 3: Family members are able to take pride in their goals and accomplishments. They trust themselves and their abilities to handle personal and social situations. They do not allow doubts to affect them, and they don’t feel ashamed about themselves or their families.

Level 2: Family members feel that they are capable of accomplishing their goals. They feel confident and sure of themselves in surroundings and with people they are familiar with, but very rarely with new people and situations. Their self-‐ confidence varies greatly depending on the situation. On occasions they may feel embarrassed, ridiculed or unsure of themselves.

Level 1: Family members doubt they are capable of accomplishing their goals. They find it difficult to relate to others and might feel confused or threatened by the demands or perspectives of those around them. They usually keep their opinions to themselves out of fear of exposure or failure.

In what ways do family members feel incapable of accomplishing challenges in life? In what areas are they strong? What fears or uncertainties are holding them back? Are there public situations or surroundings that make family members uncomfortable? What support groups can individuals join to encourage positive societal relationships and trust?

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45. Moral Conscience Definition: The ability of family members to make appropriate decisions according to their religious and cultural beliefs regarding themselves, their family, other people and the community. Level 3: Family members stand firm in making appropriate social and moral decisions that are altruistic in nature and focus on benefiting the family and community as a whole.

Level 2: Family members make decisions according to accepted social and religious norms. They act to please and earn the respect of those around them group.

Level 1: Family members only seek their own benefit and may make decisions contrary to established norms.

Which groups do family members consider when they make decisions? Do personal decisions extend beyond personal desires? Beyond family desires? To society as a whole? What are the social and religious norms that family members are expected to follow? Do they follow these norms out of a desire to consider a greater whole or out of fear of punishment or exclusion?

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46. Emotional-‐affective Capacity Definition: “The spectrum of emotions.” Family members are aware of their emotions and those of others. They are able to relate to others and experience a wide range of emotions. They have an important social network of friends, neighbors and relatives to whom they can turn for emotional support. Family members are able to effectively manage and control their thoughts, words and actions and are aware of their strengths and weaknesses. They understand how to motivate themselves to achieve target goals. Level 3: Family members have no problem identifying their emotions and those of others. They desire to replace negative emotions with positive ones, and feel comfortable expressing them to the groups to which they belong. They are able to control their actions under a wide range of emotions. They have a broad social network and know how to unitize it for support.

Level 2: Family members are often able to identify their emotions or those of others and to control their reactions. Under stress or when facing a problem, they might close up emotionally or act impulsively. They have a small network of contacts to rely on.

Level 1: Family members respond strongly to impulses, are dominated by their emotions and act without thinking of the resulting consequences that they and others will face. They have no network of contacts to rely on.

Family members able to recognize and handle the emotions that affect them? Do they feel that they are able to control their actions in stressful, frustrating or emotionally taxing circumstances? Do individuals feel that they can rely on their family and friends for emotional support? What other relations do family members have to help them during challenging times?

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47. Aesthetic Self-‐expression, Art and Beauty Definition: Family members value themselves physically and as individuals and are not ashamed of their physical appearance or personality. They have their own concepts and criteria of beauty and art, and they try to apply that criteria to themselves. Level 3: Family members have a positive perception of themselves or are at least not ashamed of their physical appearance. They have personal criteria of beauty and art and they try to apply these criteria in their dress and appearance. They like to dress up and look good and also value this quality in others.

Level 2: Family members have personal criteria for beauty and art. They admire and/or value people who apply that criteria in their dress and appearance but do not dare to express their own style. They do not have a positive perception of themselves and may feel ashamed when dressed differently than others or when dressed up.

Level 1: Family members do not have a positive perception of themselves. They have no personal criteria of beauty or art. There are no objects or individuals in their surroundings that impress their aesthetic sense favorably. They don’t particularly like to dress up and look good, nor is it a gesture which they value in others.

Do family members feel confident and self-‐assured when they dress up and look good? Do family members feel that they are attractive? Which qualities do they most admire in themselves and others? How do family members follow their own sense of style? Do individuals criticize themselves or feel ashamed when they look differently than others?

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48. Violence Against Women Definition: Violence against women due to their vulnerable situation can take on many forms, all of which are unacceptable, including: physical (physical violence, sexual abuse, isolation), psychological (emotional abuse, jeering, ridiculing, humiliating) or economic abuse (stealing their money or not allowing them to work or manage their own money). Level 3: Women are not subject to any kind of violence and feel safe and secure in all situations.

Level 2: Women are subject to some form of violence, but are aware of the issue and take actions to prevent it. They feel threatened or unsafe only in certain situations.

Level 1: Women are subject to some kind of violence, but do not take actions to prevent it because they think it is normal. They feel threatened or unsafe in many situations.

Do women feel that there are any situations in which they are impeded from having a good life and making personal choices? In which of its forms is violence against women found in the home, neighborhood or community? What community support groups are there to help women recognize and combat violence in their lives? What actions can be taken on a broader community level to ensure that the rights of women are secure in the workplace and in public?

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49. Entrepreneurship Definition: Family members proactively-‐not reactively-‐seek to solve the various situations they face. They learn from their mistakes and continually try to make their personal ideas or dreams a reality. They are committed and act as a natural leader in groups due to their positive attitudes and enthusiasm for achieving goals. Level 3: Family members find ways to enterprise in all personal, family, work, and social situations. They are active leaders in their groups, they motivate others and they seek innovative solutions to goals and problems.

Level 2: Family members enterprise in certain aspects of their lives, but abandon their projects and goals on occasion. They may participate in some groups, but without strong commitment or strong leadership roles.

Level 1: Family members do not dare undertake new ventures and are sometimes unsure how to solve issues or accomplish goals they face. They do not want to change, do not participate actively as a leader in groups and are conformists.

How are family members able to better their situations when new or unexpected circumstances arise? How do family members envision their role in the community as leaders and motivators? Are family members able to become involved in the community? How/from whom do family members learn entrepreneurial skills? How do family members share these skills with others?

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50. Autonomy and Decision-‐making Capability Definition: In general, family members participate actively in the household decision-‐making process and are able to make important day-‐to-‐day decisions both for themselves and those for whom they are responsible. These areas include: personal and family budget, work, health problems, business decisions, education of themselves and their children, religious practice, participation in community events, voting and other political affairs. Level 3: Family members participate actively in making decisions that affect their lives, their family or their business. They independently make their own decisions in areas that affect them personally and participate actively in making decisions with their spouse or family that affects their children, their education and the allocation and administration of income.

Level 2: Family members make their own decisions in at least one area of their lives after sometimes seeking advice from someone they trust. They feel that they are able to control at least one area of their lives, but may feel as if they cannot determine the outcome of other areas.

Level 1: Family members have little or no participation in making decisions that affect them personally, whether as members of a family or as employees. They often feel as if they are not in control or able to determine their actions or future.

How has good decision-‐making contributed to the success of family members and increased their ability to achieve goals in all aspects of their lives? Do family members understand the negative effects of not making appropriate, timely decisions in their lives, or always depending on third parties to do so? What examples of decision-‐making success or failures are visible in the community and the family? What goals can be made to improve decision-‐making skills in areas that are currently weak?

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Congratulations! Purpose Now that you are acquainted with the Poverty Stoplight method, you are prepared to replicate it. Hopefully you have come to realize that it is impossible to define poverty within specific parameters and that one of your most important jobs is to use your understanding from Chapter 1 to adjust the indicators in Chapter 2 in order to create an accurate measure of poverty for your area. This chapter is intended to guide you through the replication process and to outline the basic steps that should be followed to ensure successful adoption of the Poverty Stoplight method. As you read, please remember once again that the steps provided here are simply guidelines and that they may need to be adjusted to fit your unique situation.

You will make some difficult judgment calls during the replication process. As you do so keep in mind the main purpose of your work: to develop and implement practical, innovative and sustainable solutions which eliminate poverty and create decent living conditions for every family. If you base your decisions on this goal, they are sure to be good ones!

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Think About The goal of the Poverty Stoplight method is not to help families become just a little better, it is to eliminate both poverty itself and its causes. This chapter is designed to prepare you to approach each family you meet with a positive attitude and a drive to help them help themselves. When you think of poverty as a starting point and not as a barrier for progression, great improvement is possible not only in the lives of a few individuals but in whole countries-‐in the whole world. What changes do you envision for your community? How can the Poverty Stoplight method help you make this vision a reality? What is your role in this process of change?

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Step 1: Adapt the Poverty Spotlight Method to Your Area The first step you will take to replicate the Poverty Stoplight method is to carefully review each of the 50 indicators provided in Chapter 2 in order to determine which of the indicators can be used to accurately measure poverty in your area and which of them need to be replaced or simply removed. Although this process will take time and a lot of thought, don’t feel overwhelmed. The Poverty Stoplight method has already been adapted and implemented in several countries, including: Uganda, South Africa, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Colombia. If they can do it, so can you!

Let’s focus on an example that demonstrates the importance of updating poverty indicators by taking a closer look at Volunteer Uganda’s adaptation of the Poverty Stoplight method. Their goal was to conduct a one-‐time survey that would communicate the critical issues facing the poor in the Kanungu District of Uganda to local and national organizations. To accomplish this goal, Volunteer Uganda adapted the 50 poverty indicators into 49 new indicators that still measured all 6 dimensions of poverty. In addition, they created shorter, more direct questions to measure each family’s level of poverty. These changes still follow the general Poverty Stoplight method outline by categorized each indicator into three different levels of not poor, poor, and extremely poor.

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The following chart shows how Volunteer Uganda adapted the Health & Environment dimension to meet their specific needs. Notice where Volunteer Uganda expanded, added or removed certain poverty indicators to make their survey more applicable to the health and environmental concerns of the people in Uganda.

Health & Environment

Fundación Paraguaya 1-‐ Access to drinking water

2-‐ Nearby health post 3-‐ Nutritious food 4-‐ Personal hygiene and sexual health 5-‐ Healthy teeth and eyesight 6-‐ Vaccinations 7-‐ Garbage disposal 8-‐ Unpolluted environment 9-‐ Insurance

Volunteer Uganda 1-‐ How do you access water for consumption? 2-‐ Who is responsible for the management of the water source? 3-‐ Do you consume clean/potable water? 4-‐ Do you use any particular treatment when you consume non-‐potable water? 5-‐ How long does it take you to collect water for the home? 6-‐ Is water availability affected by seasonal variability (e.g. dry season)? 7-‐ How long does it take you to reach a health center? 8-‐ How much variety is there in what you eat in the household? 9-‐ How regularly do members of the household wash their hands before meals and after the toilet? 10-‐ Do you have regular optician and dentist health checks? 11-‐ Have members of the household had their vaccinations? 12-‐ Do you regularly dispose of waste in the household? 13-‐ How many mosquito nets do you have in your household (relative to the number of people in the household)? 14-‐ How regularly do you sleep under a mosquito net?

What unique indicators does Volunteer Uganda utilize? How do the differences in indicators reflect the unique circumstances and problems in each area? How do the different indicators help each organization fulfill its goals? What indicators can you adapt or add in order to achieve your specific goals and objectives? 56

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Before you begin to create your own poverty indicators using Chapter 2 as a loose guide, you first need to accustom yourself to the needs of those in the target community. To do so, follow the general outline for indicator replication and adaptation listed below: After visiting the community and meeting with leaders and organizations there, you should have a much better feel for the needs of the people. At this point you will be prepared with the information and understanding necessary to develop your own poverty indicators, which will, of course, include creating written definitions for each indicator. Your main goal as you develop unique indicators is to make sure that your indicators are able to accurately measure each dimension of poverty in your area. • Create a numbered list of the indicators you wish to include and ensure that sufficient indicators are created to completely measure each dimension of poverty. • Write definitions to go along with your indicators. As you meet with community leaders and organizations and receive information about poverty • If helpful, write a short justification of the indicator that in the community, be sure to keep briefly explains why the indicator is necessary to measure accurate, detailed records of this poverty in your area. information, including names and dates. This record will be very • Determine what constitutes a poverty level of not poor, important in the future as you or poor and extremely poor in your area; levels should be others review these findings, seek easy to measure and understand. important contacts and refine your • Once you feel that you have accurately measured each poverty-‐elimination program. dimension of poverty, compare your indicators to those mentioned in Chapter 2 for more ideas •

Before administering the Poverty Stoplight survey, determine and locate or produce appropriate visual images to represent each of the three levels of poverty for each indicator. These images will help families correctly identify and visualize their level of poverty in an understandable, meaningful way

Remember that what is considered poor in one place may not be poor in another, so some indicators may have the same definitions but different measures of poverty level compared to those in Chapter 2.

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Compare and contrast the different visual images used by Fundación Paraguaya and South Africa to represent the same poverty indicators.

Fundación Paraguaya

South Africa

Indicator 13: Garbage Disposal Level 3 images Not Poor

Indicator 33: School Supplies and Books Level 2 images Poor

Indicator 36: Values, Cultural Tradition and Historical Heritage Level 3 images Not Poor

How do these images help participants contextualize each indicator according to their situation? How can having localized images enhance the participants’ internalization and understanding of what each indicator is measuring? Where can you locate or produce images adapted to your area?

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Step 2: Plan Survey Administration and Participation Step 2 focuses primarily on how you will gather the data. There are multiple ways that you can structure your implementation of the Poverty Stoplight method. To help you choose the best structure for implementation, think about and answer the following two questions: • •

Who will conduct the survey? Who will participate in the survey?

In order to answer these questions, let’s compare implementation differences between Fundación Paraguaya and Volunteer Uganda. As we answer these questions for both organizations, keep in mind the differing resources and goals of each program.

First, who will conduct the survey?

Fundación Paraguaya: Collaborators/Advisors

• • • • •

Young creative employees working in their own local communities. Extensively trained as loan officers as well as in the Poverty Stoplight method. Assigned specific families that they work with and monitor over time. Employees supervised by Fundación Paraguaya managers. A portion of salary is variable depending on their success in meeting targets.

Volunteer Uganda: Interns • • • • •

Research teams consisting of two foreign interns and one translator. Interns and translators fully briefed on the Poverty Stoplight method. Carry out the survey and report findings but don’t monitor families after initial survey. Teams supervised by qualified Volunteer Uganda staff. Unpaid Volunteers.

How do the two programs differ in their data gathering structure? Which aspects of the two structures best fit your circumstances? Do you have the resources to hire permanent employees or will you rely on temporary volunteers? How will the longevity of your project affect your implementation strategy? A few things to remember while you brainstorm who should conduct the survey in your target community: • The person should have good communication and people skills. Participants should feel comfortable around them and able to trust them. • The person should be hard working, dynamic, creative, energetic and passionate about social work because conducting the surveys and helping families overcome their difficult circumstances is not an easy task.

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Second, who will participate in the survey?

Fundación Paraguaya: Current Clientele

•

Managers of other Fundación Paraguaya programs encourage current clients to participate in the Poverty Stoplight method. Potential participants form their own groups and submit an application for entry into the Poverty Stoplight program. Main selection criteria are: income below the poverty line and desire to overcome that situation.

Volunteer Uganda: Random Sampling • • •

Every fifth household was approached to be surveyed. Participation was entirely voluntary and did not involve remuneration. Information disclosed was kept confidential and anonymous.

What were the main differences in the two processes of finding families? What are the advantages of having participants sign up as a group as opposed to random sampling? Which aspects of the two processes best fit your circumstances? Do you already have a client base from which you can draw participants or will it be necessary to go find new ones? What will your recruiting process be like?

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Step 3: Intervention Plans Now that the data collection process has been established, you can start to really focus on your overarching goal of eliminating poverty! The next step is to work with the families and implement intervention plans to improve their quality of life. Below you will find an example of the first steps in the implementation of a basic intervention plan. Pay close attention to how the advisor interacts with the family. Susan is the head of household with three children in Paraguay. One of them, Laura, is 18 years old and the other two are younger. Susan maintains her family with a business of patties (meat in pocket pastry) that she runs in their own home. The net income generated by the business is Gs. 650,000. At the time of deciding to participate in the program, she is the only person generating income in the household. Upon briefly analyzing the possibilities of increasing the family income, the advisor proposes that the eldest daughter perform some paid activity. Both start thinking about what sort of activity it could be. As they are not able to find one, they turn to the source: they ask Laura what activity she would like to pursue. Susan is surprised to discover that her daughter likes hairdressing. Then, through a micro-‐loan, Susan establishes a small hairdresser’s in her home and not long after their income rises to more than Gs. 2,000,000.

What steps in this basic intervention plan stood out to you? How did the advisor treat the family? What was the advisor’s role in the process? How can you mirror the advisor’s approach? Why did they focus on income first? How this can help them improve other indicators such as infrastructure and education?

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In Fundación Paraguaya, advisors agree and jointly develop a simple intervention plan with the families to help them address, firstly, the poverty-‐triggering indicator and then the remaining indicators. The end-‐objective of the intervention plan is for all indicators to turn green. The following could be used as a guide in your process of developing an intervention plan with each family: 1. Analyze the overall Poverty Stoplight of the family and identify poverty-‐triggering indicators in order to focus on these in the first stage. Usually this involves increasing the family’s income, but not always. 2. Draw up the intervention plan in coordination with the family. 3. Study and analyze the characteristics of the family, their possibilities, contacts, members with age to produce, businesses that would be viable, income level that would be optimal, etc. 4. Review the family budget and consider what adjustments can be made. 5. Do not overlook that the intervention plan should help all indicators turn green. 6. Execute the intervention plan with the family. 7. Set up a timeline for follow-‐up visits and monitoring (to be discussed in Step 4).

This is key. Remember that the family is the main protagonist and is not simply a bottle to be filled up with someone else’s ideas; their power needs to be unleashed so that they become responsible for their own poverty-‐elimination goals.

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Step 4: Monitoring Progress You are now in the monitoring stage of the Poverty Stoplight method. So far, you have tailored simple intervention plans that provide families with realistic goals. Because each family is different, it is crucial to be open to a wide range of solutions geared towards their unique needs. In addition, this means that in order to help families effectively enact lasting change, varying tactics of monitoring behavior must be used. Keep in mind that this is a mentoring program where you will continuously guide and empower families. There is no quick-‐fix to poverty, so many visits will be required to help families fully overcome their situations. The following story of the Rodriguez family shows how intervention plans may need to be adapted or changed to more effectively cater to the needs of the family. Maria lives with her husband Miguel and their three young children in Paraguay. Miguel is currently unemployed. The only family income comes from Maria, who earns Gs. 1,000,000 working in domestic service. Miguel is not able to find work so he stays at home looking after the children. At first glance it seems that this family’s poverty-triggering indicator is the lack of a second income. After analyzing the situation with the advisor, the obvious solution is for Miguel to use his skills and knowledge to perform freelance gardening and construction work. Clients are found through contacts at Maria’s job and a supportive neighbor volunteers to look after the children. The initial goal of the intervention plan was to increase the family income to Gs. 2,500,000 in about three months. However, when the family met with their advisor, the goal had not been reached. In an interview, Maria confesses that her husband does not go to work every day and that he has lost those clients who were initially willing to give him work. This has occurred because Miguel drinks a lot at night and does not get up in the morning. At this point, the advisor and the family work together to re-evaluate and change the initial intervention plan. Although income was originally seen as the povertytriggering indicator, Miguel’s behavior is what really needs to be treated. With this new focus, the advisor makes inquiries and puts the family in contact with the group Alcoholics Anonymous. Miguel reluctantly agrees to attend meetings along with his wife. After some time, Miguel manages to control his addiction and becomes more able to accept the work offered to him. As Miguel’s increased self-esteem allows him to search out new projects, the family income reaches the predetermined goal.

Think of why the initial intervention plan was adapted and how this story applies to the families with whom you are currently working. How can you as an advisor help determine the root causes of poverty in each family? How will this affect the way current intervention plans are structured? Why is monitoring and following up with families so important in order to help them complete their goals?

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You may have the following questions as you go throughout the monitoring process.

What should I do if a family or an individual member decides they no longer want to participate in the program? If a family decides to withdraw from the program, they should not be penalized whatsoever, since participation is free and voluntary. However, it is important to find out the reasons they no longer want to participate. These reasons may provide good suggestions for improvement of your program and implementation strategy. This will allow your organization to provide better service and, ultimately, to achieve more successful outcomes in the future. If beneficial improvements can be made, encourage families to continue their participation. However, you should never force anyone to remain in the program.

How often should follow-‐up occur?

Considering that each family member and individual has unique needs and responsibilities, follow-‐up visits will be conducted differently in each instance depending on the intervention plan. At first, visit the families frequently. Then, once the family has a good grasp of their intervention plan, consistently visit the families according to their specific needs. Visits are designed to monitor family progress and encourage continued diligence in achieving their goals.

As you go throughout the monitoring process, be organized. Take detailed notes about family progress, obstacles to progression, adaptations to initial intervention plans and the reasons for these adaptations. Report to your supervisor about your visits and make sure that you are fulfilling your designated responsibilities. Adhere to your organization’s plan for the community. Working in concert with your organization will ensure the best and most effective implementation of the Poverty Stoplight method in the community.

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Step 5: Certification Ideally, after the implementation and monitoring of a unique intervention plan, the family will eventually have all their poverty indicators turn green. This is determined by having the family retake the Poverty Stoplight survey one final time. If all the indicators are green after taking this final survey, it is appropriate to certify the family for having accomplished their poverty-‐elimination goals. Because this process can take many months, it may be easy for the family to overlook the gradual positive changes they have made and the behaviors they have adopted to help get to where they are. It will be important to help the family realize and appreciate how far they have come. Granting a certificate of completion is one way to mark this special accomplishment. Not only will it give the family a sense of pride and satisfaction, it will also help demonstrate to their children and neighbors the potential that each person has to accomplish great things. Brainstorm below what kind of certificate or memoir you can grant to these families. Some ideas may be an actual paper certificate, a framed picture, a rug, pottery, etc. Be sure to consider the local cultural practices when deciding what to award. What will give the family a sense of pride and accomplishment? Will it be something they could display in their main living area? Will it clearly communicate or symbolize the family’s progress, effort and accomplishments?

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If possible, hold a public or group certification ceremony. This will greatly enhance the experience of all the families participating in the Poverty Stoplight method. Those families still striving to overcome poverty will be inspired and motivated while certified families can further celebrate their special accomplishments. Where can such a ceremony be held? What can be presented or shared about the accomplishments of the families who have completed the Poverty Stoplight method? Will the ceremony inspire other families striving to improve their situation? What other activities can you include to make it more of a community event? Are there any other community events you can partner with?

Organization in record-‐keeping is essential in this process. Both you and the participants should keep accurate and detailed records of the intervention process. Some possible documents to keep track of are listed below. It may be a good idea to include some of these documents in a certification packet. a. The original Poverty Stoplight survey (this is the survey that was taken during the first visit with the family). b. The final survey which certifies that the family has turned all their poverty indicators green . c. Copies of the intervention plans (e.g. business initiatives, self-‐esteem building plans, savings plans, etc.). d. Records of purchases/sales or cost/earnings in order to corroborate the intervention plan. e. Photos (if available) of the activities or progress that can be shown. f. Any other data related the family entered into your record keeping system (e.g. Excel worksheets, surveys, previous unsuccessful intervention drafts, etc.). What other information would be important for you to include in a certification packet?

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It is a good idea to follow up annually with certified families over the next three years to ensure that they sustain and continue their progress. However, it is not necessary to re-‐apply the Poverty Stoplight survey at these visits. Remember that these families should be treated with familiarity and respect. They are not mere clients, they are strategic allies in the fight against poverty and therefore friends of your institution. Although annual follow-‐ups are recommended, these visits can be held as frequently as necessary. Although many of the communities you work with may not have many corporations, it may also be beneficial to apply the Poverty Stoplight method in other civil institutions. The focus and purpose of this manual has been to teach Some of these might include: health you how to help families overcome poverty through the use of care, transportation, political indicators and goals. The power of the Poverty Stoplight method, participation services, community however, resides in its applicability to a wide range of circumstances and groups all over the world. This step describes organizations or facilities and governmental agencies. some unconventional situations in which the Poverty Stoplight method can be applied to create well-rounded individuals and organizations. As always, remember that the following examples are not all-inclusive and that the Poverty Stoplight method can certainly be applied to many more situations than those listed. Corporate Setting The scope of the Poverty Stoplight method has been expanded and implemented in corporations in order to ensure the What institutions may benefit from well-‐being of employees. Although it is easy to assume implementation of the Poverty that employees of corporations do not struggle with poverty, many Stoplight method? employees may be dealing with unseen poverty in any one of the six dimensions. Unseen poverty is often behavioral and may largely How will this implementation also affect employee performance. Corporate application of the Poverty benefit the community? Stoplight method focuses largely on improving employee behavior, income and other factors in order to help employees overcome all Can you think of any other situations in dimensions of poverty. Applying the Poverty Stoplight method in which some adaptation of the Poverty the workplace will bring great rewards to employers and Stoplight method may help create employees as individual confidence, productivity and positive change? professionalism increase. A corporate application of the Poverty Stoplight method, though beneficial, is not a substitute for working Could you use the method within your with families on a personal level. own institution to ensure the most effective and healthy performance?

Step 6: Variations on the Poverty Spotlight Method

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Community or Policy Goals As mentioned previously in this section, various differences exist between the application of the Poverty Stoplight method in Paraguay and Uganda. These differences reflect both the varied situations (finances, time frame, location, workers, etc.) and the goals of each group. Fundación Paraguaya’s approach focuses primarily on long-‐term family-‐centered improvement based on individual goals. On the other hand, Volunteer Uganda’s approach focuses on data gathering and analysis in order to propose potential community improvements and governmental policies. While neither approach is right nor wrong, they both lead to different outcomes and require different levels of commitment and resources. Before you begin your project make sure you understand your goals and objectives as a social worker. Is your main purpose to help families achieve specific goals, or to provide organizations with important information about the issues and level of poverty in a community? Focus on your purpose and adapt the information in the manual to better apply to your situation.

Educating Children

If effectively implemented, the Poverty Stoplight method will permanently change the behaviors and thought processes of the families with whom you work. In order to make this change even more long-‐lasting and integrated into the lives of all family members, children may be taught the ideas of the Poverty Stoplight method at a young age. The goal of a program like this is to instill in children early on the value of creating and working towards specific goals, learning entrepreneurial skills, developing self-‐confidence and proactively making positive changes in themselves and the community. There are many ways to go about teaching children. Some aspects of the Poverty Stoplight method could be included in school teaching structure or curriculum, though it should never replace other school subjects. In this case students can learn how to make goals and improvements in a school setting in order to better understand how to apply these principles to all other aspects of their lives. In addition, community outreach programs focusing on the long-‐term success of children could be created. However you choose to help children learn the principles Poverty Stoplight method, the end goal will be to raise strong, confident, productive children who can help create strong societies and families in the future.

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Quick Reference to Dimensions and Indicators

Income & Employment

Assess the condition in which families are able to develop work activities. 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)

Income above the poverty line Stable income Credit Family savings Diversified Income Documentation

Health & Environment

Assess access to health services and programs, particularly those associated to the family and environment. 7) Access to drinking water 8) Nearby health post 9) Nutritious food 10) Personal hygiene and sexual health 11) Healthy teeth and eyesight 12) Vaccinations 13) Garbage disposal 14) Unpolluted environment 15) Insurance

Housing & Infrastructure Assess the material conditions and equipment in the households to provide safety, comfort and facilitate more dynamic family relationships. 16) Safe home 17) Sanitary latrine and sewer 18) Electricity 19) Refrigerator other household appliances 20) Separate bathrooms 21) Elevated cook stove with ventilation 22) Comfort in the household 23) Regular means of transport 24) All-‐weather road 25) Fixed-‐line or cellular telephone 26) Security 27) Sufficient and appropriate clothing

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Income & Employment

Assess access of family members to relevant educational options according to their stage in the life cycle. 28) Can read and write 29) Children with minimum required schooling 30) Income generating knowledge and skills 31) Ability to plan a budget 32) Communication and social capital 33) School supplies and books 34) Access to information (radio and TV) 35) Entertainment and recreation 36) Values cultural tradition and historical heritage 37) Respects other cultures 38) Awareness of human rights

Organization & Participation Assess the extent individuals become autonomous and participatory, and thus learn to solve their problems and have a different vision of reality. Also to the extent they take on roles in their community they are more able to achieve actual change. 39) Is part of a self-‐help group 40) Influence on public sector 41) Problem and conflict-‐solving ability 42) Are registered voters and vote in elections

Interiority & Motivation Assess the extent at which the individuals and families develop their personality and interiority, better capitalize on opportunities, and appreciate their innate potential. 43) Awareness of needs & potential (goals/targets) 44) Self-‐confidence (self esteem) 45) Moral conscience 46) Emotional-‐affective capacity 47) Aesthetic self-‐expression, art and beauty 48) Violence against women 49) Entrepreneurship 50) Autonomy and decision-‐making capacity

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Contents Chapter 1 – 3

History – 4 Purpose – 5 Change in Behavior Leads to Positive Influence – 5 Poverty is Multidimensional – 10 Methodology – 11 Conclusion – 11 What to Remember (Chapter 1) – 11

Home & Employment – 16 Health & Environment – 20 Housing & Infrastructure – 27 Education & Culture – 34 Organization & Participation – 41 Interiority & Motivation – 44

Congratulations! – 53 Step 1: Adapt the Poverty Spotlight Method to Your Area – 55 Step 2: Plan Survey Administration and Participation – 59 Step 3: Intervention Plans – 61 Step 4: Monitoring Progress – 63 Step 5: Certification – 66 Step 6: Variations on the poverty Spotlight Method – 68 Quick Reference to Dimensions and Indicators – 71 Contents – 73

Chapter 2 – 13

Chapter 3 – 52

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