Livelihoods in the Americas

Livelihoods in the Americas

www.ifrc.org Saving lives, changing minds.

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

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Jobs and stable incomes are at the core of community cohesion, resilience and development. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) works with Red Cross National Societies to support sustainable livelihoods, helping communities to better cope with and recover from the stresses and shocks of a disaster or crisis Salvadoran Red Cross is changing the lives of people with visual disabilities through the Occupational Management Classrooms project for the Latin American Region. Salvadoran Red Cross Peruvian Red Cross actions during the 2013 frosts in Puno.

Mateo Manfredo / Peruvian Red Cross

Mitcherline Cadet does what she loves and loves what she does at the La Rosee bakery in Lilavois, Croix-des-Bouquets. Samuel Dameus/ IFRCÂ

Livelihoods in the Americas Livelihoods encompass the skills, goods and activities that are required to generate an income and make a living. What we do in the Americas Regional Office is strategically positioned to support National Societies with knowledge, trainings for staff and volunteers and assistance for the inclusion of livelihood components in development, response and recovery programmes in the region.

Income security for much of the population in the Americas is highly vulnerable due to the dependence on rural livelihoods, the high susceptibility of natural resources in the face of climate change and the rapid

urban development that cannot guarantee dignified employment. In recent years, phenomena such as El NiĂąo exposed the fragility of the livelihoods of many people living in rural areas with consequences ranging from food insecurity, chronic poverty and even forced migration. When disasters affect urban settings, they have a devastating impact on livelihoods, which are often informal yet provide for many people.

One of the priorities of IFRC is to strengthen the livelihoods of people with the aim of reducing the impact of disasters and support early recovery.

Livelihoods programmes and support can be implemented in development contexts,

as well as in a broad range of disaster and conflict settings. Livelihoods can be approached and in different types of disasters including sudden emergencies, slow onset emergencies or chronic situations, as well as complex emergencies where the population endures the effects of a natural disaster in a conflict setting.

Vulnerability and capacity analysis related to livelihoods of different groups and their needs are is required to design livelihoods interventions which can cover all the phases of an intervention- from emergency to development.

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

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The IFRC classifies livelihoods programmes in five categories, according to the specific objective of the planned intervention:

Supply

Implementations of actions such as in-kind resource or cash transfer to cover basic needs.

Reestablishment

Support for the reactivation of activities through distribution of seeds, animals and tools, boats and fishing nets, stock replenishment for businesses; etc.

Strengthening

Training to improve yield of activities, such as new farming or product processing techniques, or new sales techniques.

Diversification

Promoting new activities for times when main livelihood activity is low, or insertion into the workplace of non-employed members of the family.

Protection

Resistant infrastructures such as dykes to protect fields or businesses from floods; and livestock and seed reserve protection activities during emergencies.

Vegetable producers in the province of Chimborazo work with staff of the project “4 companies�, run by Ecuadorian Red Cross. Ecuadorian Red Cross

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Livelihoods in The Americas

The choice of these approaches depends on the type of event which has occurred as well as when is the best time to implement.

However, in all cases the objective is to contribute to reducing risk over time.

With the aim of promoting quality interventions in livelihoods, the IFRC’s Livelihoods Centre provides National Societies and other partners, with tools for livelihoods analysis, assessment and programming, as well as with specialised training. A key element of the work is advocacy for the promotion of sustainable livelihoods, and their inclusion in response operations from the onset of an emergency. It is often necessary to do advocacy work with partners and other external actors in order to achieve the inclusion of livelihoods into implementation and training plans.

Georgia Phillips, a 32 year-old mother with six children, received support under the Micro Economic Initiative (MEI) to start an assorted drinks and chips stall. Nigel Dickinson/Red CrossÂ

Impact data Beneficiaries of livelihoods training in the Americas by the IFRC Regional Livelihoods Centre between 2012-2016

2011-2016 period

57

emergency interventions in the Americas

814

24

31

19

persons

operations included livelihoods and/ or food security

National Societies

of these operations took place in 2015-2016

48

members of Civil Defence and Protection Systems and other government institutions Total

56,472

beneficiary families

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

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Beneficiary story

Support to farmers in Puno, Peru Macusani, in the province of Carabaya, is the largest producer of alpaca in Peru, and the world: approximately 250,000 alpaca are raised here. After frost and snowfall hit the region in the last months of 2013, 16,800 alpaca died and many others fell ill in Carabaya. In many cases, cattlefarming is the only livelihood available to the population of the region. Lucía Gutiérrez is more than 60 years old, and in addition to a few sheep and a few alpaca of her own, she herds cattle for other farmers. Her age and her slow gait are no obstacles for Lucía, who walks many kilometres through the mountains herding the animals. In her home between the mountains, away from the villages, Lucía has no public services.

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Livelihoods in The Americas

Delivery of aid as part of the response to the frost in Puno in 2013.

Mateo Manfredo / Peruvian Red Cross

At night, she uses only candles. “We make fire with wood, that is how we cook. But sometimes the wood is moist, it doesn’t catch fire, and we cannot cook. We struggle in the countryside; in the cities people have electricity, as well as TV”, she says.

Peruvian Red Cross staff arrives in the communities to assess the situation and determine, along with the community, which is the best course of action to re-establish livelihoods.

In this case the decision was made to support 1,000 farmers in the first phase, with a veterinary kit for 100 alpaca and five packs of oats for each farmer.

During beneficiary identification and relief distributions, volunteers of the area join Peruvian Red Cross activities. Roger Cama, for instance, is 34 years old and joined the Red Cross four months ago. He went to Macusani enthusiastically to participate in the assessment of nearby affected communities. His parents live in a rural area and also raise cattle, which is why Roger says he “is familiar with that reality”.

Fifty people from the rural communities of Cotacachi, Imbabura were trained, received inputs and equipment for the production of medicinal herbs aimed at regaining the use of the traditional medicinal herbs of the Andes. Ecuadorian Red Cross

Contact information:

Antonio LeĂłn Regional Humanitarian Aid and Livelihoods Delegate ci.barrena@ifrc.org Julie Hoare Head, Partnerships and Resource Development julie.hoare@ifrc.org

Š International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. 2017