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Participatory Impact Assessment of Women Income Generating Groups under CARE intervention in Borena, Ethiopia

Report prepared for CARE Ethiopia, Pastoralist Programs

By Mirjam Steglich and Gezu Bekele September 2009

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Acknowledgement

The participatory impact assessment documented in this report has been commissioned by CARE, Ethiopia. The field work was importantly supported by Nigist Shiferaw and the CARE Borana field staff Araso Guyo, Halake Gatani and Abubakar Tusa. The study would not have been possible without the support of many, foremost the women of the WIGGs who sacrificed their valuable time to participate in the assessment; furthermore, the many respondents who patiently participated in the interviews. Invaluable initial input into the study was provided by John Burns and Andy Catley of Tufts University, who shared their knowledge and experience from similar field studies. Last but not least, Charles Hopkins, Pastoral Project Manager, CARE, importantly contributed to the study with his guidance and advice.

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Table of Contents Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................................. 2 List of Acronyms ................................................................................................................................................... 3 List of Tables ......................................................................................................................................................... 3 List of Diagrams and Boxes ................................................................................................................................... 3 Executive Summary .............................................................................................................................................. 4 Key Findings ......................................................................................................................................................... 5 Policy Implications ................................................................................................................................................ 5 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 6 2. Participatory Impact Assessment: Approach and Methods .......................................................................... 8

2.1. The Participatory Impact Assessment of CARE supported WIGGs ................................................... 8 2.2. Sampling Frame .............................................................................................................................. 9 2.3. Assessment Techniques .................................................................................................................. 9 2.4. Data Analysis ................................................................................................................................. 10

Results ................................................................................................................................................................ 11 3. Group Profiles of Women Income Generating Groups ............................................................................... 11 4. Livelihood Impact of CARE supported WIGGs ............................................................................................ 14

4.1. Changes in Livelihood Indicators ................................................................................................... 14 5. Income Diversification of WIGG Participants .............................................................................................. 16

5.1. Group Income Earning Activities: Success and Failures ................................................................. 16 5.2. Beneficial Non‐cash Group Activities ............................................................................................. 17 5.3. Relative Changes in Income from Individual Income Earning Activities ......................................... 17 5.4. Female‐headed Household Benefited most from the WIGG Activities .......................................... 18

6. Group Loan and Savings Operations .......................................................................................................... 20 6.1. Group Savings ............................................................................................................................... 20 6.2. Loans and the Purpose of Loans Taken ......................................................................................... 20

7. Coping Strategies to Mitigate the Effects of Drought ................................................................................. 22 8. Agency Interventions in Support of WIGGs ................................................................................................ 22

8.1. CARE Support to WIGGs ................................................................................................................ 22 8.2. Other Supporting Agencies and CARE Project Attribution ............................................................. 23

9. Discussion .................................................................................................................................................. 25 9.1. The Appropriateness of the Participatory Impact Assessment Approach ...................................... 25 9.2. Successes and Challenges of the Women Income Generating Groups .......................................... 25 9.3. The Role of Social Empowerment .................................................................................................. 27 9.4. State‐of‐the‐art Approaches to WIGGs and the Pastoral Livelihood Context ................................. 27 9.5. WIGGs strive under CARE Support and Contributions of other Agencies that create an overall

Enabling Environment ................................................................................................................... 28 10. Recommendations ...................................................................................................................................... 29

10.1. Options for Scaling‐up and the Role of CARE............................................................................. 29 10.2. Policy Recommendations .......................................................................................................... 30

11. References ................................................................................................................................................. 31 List of Interview Partners .................................................................................................................................... 32 Appendix 1 ......................................................................................................................................................... 33 Appendix 2 ......................................................................................................................................................... 34 Appendix 3 ......................................................................................................................................................... 35 Appendix 4 ......................................................................................................................................................... 36 Appendix 5 ......................................................................................................................................................... 39

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List of Acronyms CARE Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere CPO Cooperate Promotion Office ELSE Enhanced Livelihoods in Southern Ethiopia ETB Ethiopian Birr IGA Income Generating Activity NGO Non‐governmental Organization PIA Participatory Impact Assessment PLI Pastoralist Livelihood Initiative PRA Participatory Rural Appraisal RREAD Regional Resiliency Enhancement Against Drought WIGG Women Income Generating Group

List of Tables Table 1 WIGG PIA sampling frame Table 2 Brief description of participatory methods used in the WIGG impact assessment Table 3 Transcribed time‐line of the Jirenya WIGG in the Yabello Woreda Table 4 Transcribed time‐line of the Hormata WIGG in the Teltele Woreda Table 5 General group characteristics of the surveyed then CARE supported WIGGs Table 6 Overview of WIGG engagement in different income generating activities and their ranking Table 7 WIGG savings and group fund contributions Table 8 Ranking agencies for their use and support to WIGGs

List of Diagrams and Boxes Box 1 Scanned copy of a time‐line from Teltele Diagram 1 Livelihood indicators of CARE supported WIGGs before and after project interventions (N=10) Box 2 Typical statements of CARE supported women WIGG members showing elements of

empowerment Diagram 2 Comparison of individual income generating activities before and after WIGG involvement for

members of CARE groups (N=56) and control groups (N=61) Diagram 3 Average loans taken by women of CARE groups (N=56) and control groups (N=61) over the

past 12 months Box 3 Trainings and other CARE inputs Box 4 Scanned copy of a venn diagram from a group in Yabello

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Participatory impact assessment of women income generating groups under CARE intervention in Borena, Ethiopia

Executive Summary This report presents results of a participatory impact assessment of CARE supported WIGGs in Borana, Southern Ethiopia. The assessment is based on a predominately participatory approach. Its primary aim is to identify and measure the impact of CARE supported WIGGs on the livelihoods of the beneficiaries. It includes both, positive and negative changes in the livelihoods of participating households that can be attributed to the project intervention. In addition, the analysis of economic, policy and institutional factors within which the CARE intervention takes shape provides options for scaling‐up of the WIGGs approach within the context of safety net programs in different socio‐economic areas of Ethiopia.

The PIA is carried out at individual and group level. The individual level assessment is conducted in the form of questionnaire‐type interviews with 120 women; 60 women from CARE groups and 60 women from control groups. The group level assessment consists of group discussions facilitated a small number of participatory appraisal techniques with five to ten women per group. Secondary sources of information, such as key informant interviews and project reports are used for purposes of triangulation and to gain a better understanding of the environment in which the project is implemented and how related contextual factors influence the success and failure of the WIGGs.

Results ascertain that the majority of groups are successfully engaged in group income generating activities, foremost petty trade, grain trade and cattle fattening. About 70% of the group members benefit from small loans offered by the WIGGs. Especially the vulnerable female‐headed households derive significant financial benefits from the WIGG participation. An additional important positive livelihood change attributed to WIGG membership is an increase in knowledge and self‐esteem of the participating women. The combination of more knowledge and experience and enhanced social cohesion among group members coupled with the ability to participate in community decision‐making substantially enhances women empowerment. The women groups show a vital concern for their community welfare and often encourage the entire community to get involved in activities such as hay making or to contribute to water preservation.

Challenges to the functioning of WIGGs are conflict and migration due to drought. Strong, well‐organized WIGGs, however, also devise innovative strategies to mitigate the effects of drought. The overall positive impact of WIGGs on the livelihoods of participating women justifies scaling‐up of these activities, especially in the pastoralist livelihood context. Ongoing socio‐political change, including the promotion of women’s rights, creates an enabling environment in which the WIGGs play a crucial role in bringing about tangible benefits of women empowerment, such as household livelihood diversification and drought resilience.

It is, however, necessary to advocate the emerging role of WIGGs in the pastoralist livelihood context where CAREs strength is to ensure a state‐of‐the‐art WIGG approach and a clear pro‐poor vision. CARE must continue to emphasize the pro‐poor focus of WIGGs while maintaining its collaboration with related government agencies. Involved agencies should endeavor more transparency in project implementation and foster continued peer‐learning mechanisms among agencies to improve their WIGG support. A policy learning dialogue with the respective government agencies can help to overcome the often too mechanistic administration of cooperative promotion that jeopardizes the establishment of strong, self‐reliant, and accountable WIGGs.

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Key Findings • The WIGGs have a strong positive impact on the livelihood of participating women and their households.

Especially the vulnerable female‐headed households derive significant financial benefits from the WIGG participation. Additional significant changes are non‐economic and relate to a range of factors that contribute to women social empowerment.

• The women WIGG members perceive the knowledge and information they receive in training courses and cross‐visits as most valuable and perceive the awareness they derive from these as the key to change.

• Strong WIGGs – those that are well‐organized and achieved financial success in their group income earning activities – devise drought mitigation strategies for their members and their communities at large.

• WIGGs operate within an enabling environment of supporting governmental and non‐governmental agencies as well as positive institutional and socio‐political change. Within this enabling environment CARE plays a crucial role in ensuring the pro‐poor outcomes of WIGGs.

• While CARE and other NGOs have embarked on a course of intensified collaboration with the governmental Cooperative Promotion Office in support of WIGGs, the agencies are caught in the dilemma of divergence in approaches and interests towards this end.

Policy Implications • The positive impact of WIGGs on the livelihoods of participating women justifies scaling‐up of these

activities, especially in the pastoralist livelihood context.

• It is necessary to advocate the emerging role of WIGGs in the pastoralist livelihood context where CAREs strength is to ensure a state‐of‐the‐art WIGG approach and a clear pro‐poor vision.

• Involved agencies should endeavor more transparency in project implementation and foster continued peer‐learning mechanisms among agencies to improve their WIGG support.

• A policy learning dialogue with the respective government agencies can help to overcome the often too mechanistic administration of cooperative promotion that jeopardizes the establishment of strong, self‐reliant, and accountable WIGGs.

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1. Introduction Pastoralist systems and related livelihoods are increasingly under pressure and caught in a downward spiral of resource depletion, poverty, and diminishing resilience against drought related emergencies (UNOCHA PCI 2007). It is generally understood that emergency drought interventions and related humanitarian relief operations will not solve the problem. CARE and other NGOs that primarily engaged in providing emergency aid in the past have undergone a major policy shift and now focus their activities on reducing the vulnerability of pastoralists and their livelihoods, emphasizing improved drought management and long term development programming. Livelihood diversification is a key strategy towards this end, assisting pastoralists to become less dependent on livestock as their sole household asset and income generating activity (Pantuliano and Wekesa 2008).

As part of its livelihood diversification strategy, CARE Ethiopia carries out project activities supporting women income generating activities in Harage, Borana and Afar. These projects specifically target women in pastoralist communities. Its entry point are Women Income Generating Groups (WIGGs) that receive various inputs through CARE, foremost trainings and seed‐money. This report presents the findings of the Participatory Impact Assessment (PIA) of the CARE supported WIGGs in Borana, Southern Ethiopia.

Findings of the impact assessment are based on group discussions and individual interviews – utilizing a set of participatory appraisal techniques – with women of CARE supported groups and control groups. Additional information sources are key informant interviews and various project documents. Unique to the WIGG approach in Borana is that CARE is pioneering the use of WIGGs in the context of a predominately pastoralist livelihood system. It is the first time that an impact assessment on WIGGs is undertaken in the pastoralist context of Borana. Among the main objectives of the PIA is to establish the value of the WIGG approach for livelihood diversification in the pastoralist context and a better understanding of the options for scaling‐up of the approach in Ethiopia.

The WIGG approach that CARE adopted builds on positive grass‐roots development experiences made with women income generation programs in Ethiopia and other parts of Africa (CARE no date; PARIMA 2008; IFAD 1998). It enables women to diversify incomes through collective action and group savings. The primary expectation in the project outcome is the economic empowerment of women participants, which is perceived to tale place as a direct chain of impact, leading from improved access to small loans, to intensified small‐enterprise activities, to income diversification and related poverty reduction. However, WIGG activities also generate indirect, nevertheless equally beneficial, impact. Typically, the indirect impact of micro‐finance schemes occurs in a diverse range of outcomes and pathways and is less tangible (Sebstad and Cohen 2001). Social empowerment is among these outcomes. Likewise, the ability of the WIGGs to adopt drought mitigation mechanisms as another way to enhance households’ risk management capacities is of particular interest in this regard.

The PIA findings show that CARE’s intervention has brought about positive changes in the lives of the participants. Women who have until recently been predominately involved in livestock husbandry took up alternative and complementary income earning activities. While not all of the group activities have been successful and women experience occasional setbacks, the majority of them perceive their small enterprises as profitable and report increasing financial independence. The financial independence becomes apparent in the women’s ability to cover their children’s’ school fees and family medical expenses, and own – often for the first time in their lives – household assets such as small ruminates, cattle or household utensils. The savings and loan function of the groups, which constitutes the primary source of capital for the women, operates well in spite of the challenge that almost all the women participants are illiterate. Loans are utilized by over 70 percent of the WIGG members.

However, women do not only use the loans to invest in their small business activities but also cover household expenses with the loans. This becomes particularly vital in times of temporary food‐shortage and lack of cash during periods of drought. It demonstrates that women employ the WIGG scheme in innovative ways that

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generate additional benefits from WIGG membership that are particularly vital in the pastoral context. Common for successful women income generating collective‐action groups (Premchander 1994), the PIA findings document a remarkable gain in sense of self‐confidence in the women WIGG participants. The social empowerment that the women derive from the WIGG scheme generates benefits beyond the household level, since the women use their enhanced authority and knowledge to involve the larger community in activities such as hay making or water preservation.

The pastoral context poses specific challenges, foremost illiteracy, temporary migration, and very limited access to markets, which make the operation of the WIGGs difficult for the women and for the project implementation. Project experience so far has shown that these challenges can be overcome. In this regard, the CARE project staff firmly follows a state‐of‐the‐art bottom‐up participatory approach in facilitating the WIGG activities and does not impose activities in facilitating the WIGGs. The PIA reveals an additional, more severe challenge that jeopardizes the viability of a number of groups. In some cases the activities of the WIGGs are closely supervised by the Cooperative Promotion Office (CPO). The CPO often imposes specific income earning activities on the groups or rushes them to join into formal lager cooperative units, despite the lack of organizational capacity for that step. While the collaborative partnership between CARE and the CPO is perceived as mutually advantageous and of important benefit to the project, both agencies operate with conflicting objectives. CARE focuses on establishing sustainable, self‐reliant groups, but the CPO is under pressure to quickly establish larger formal cooperatives. Where the CPO hijacks the CARE WIGGs for its purposes, CARE investments are in danger when groups collapse.

In scaling‐up the WIGG approach CARE will have to ensure that it maintains its pro‐poor approach and find ways to safeguard the integrity of the WIGGs it supports. Additional suggestions on how best to achieve this are addressed in the concluding section. The structure of the report is such that first the methodology of the PIA and related data collection and analysis are described. Subsequently WIGG member livelihood and livelihood changes as outcomes of group assessments are documented. A more detailed account of impact related to income diversification and the loan and savings scheme – based on information from individual interviews and comparison with a control group – are put forward in the following chapters. At the end of each chapter, points of relevance for the WIGG approach are raised. A summary discussion and policy recommendations are found at the end. Additional documentation, including photographs showing the participatory assessment conducted in Borana, is in the appendix.

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2. Participatory Impact Assessment: Approach and Methods

2.1. The Participatory Impact Assessment of CARE supported WIGGs The impact assessment of CARE supported women income generating groups in Borena is based on a predominately participatory approach. Its primary aim is to identify and measure the impact of CARE supported WIGGs on the livelihoods of the beneficiaries. It includes both, positive and negative changes in the livelihoods of project participants. Using a participatory livelihood approach allows for an integrated analysis of complex, highly dynamic rural contexts and looks at development efforts from a local‐level point of view (Scoones 2009). In addition, the analysis of economic, policy and institutional factors within which the CARE intervention takes shape, provides options for scaling‐up of the WIGGs approach within the context of safety net programs in different socio‐economic areas of Ethiopia.

Participatory Impact Assessments (PIA) combine participatory techniques from the field of PRA (Participatory Rural Appraisal) with more conventional statistical methods of data exploration in order to give meaningful measurements of the impact of interventions on livelihoods (Catley et al. 2007). The advantage of the PIA approach is that the people targeted by the intervention are directly involved in the assessment, utilizing participatory appraisal tools that are adapted to the specific local situation (Guijt 1998). Ideally the assessment itself serves as a learning exercise for project staff and participants. In the present case, however, the main motivation behind undertaking the PIA was to gather reliable information directly from and with the project beneficiaries. The methods employed allow to partly express otherwise qualitative information in numerical estimates. This eases interpretation and facilitates comparisons for those in charge of program design and funding decisions.

The present assessment targets exclusively the female members of those WIGGs that receive direct support from CARE1. Men participate in some of the WIGGs and also contribute to income generating activities at times2. Women are, however, the key client group of concern in this assessment. It is reasonable to assume that there are marked gender differences and that women in Borana have different priorities and expectations about their livelihood situation and livelihood changes related to the WIGGs (Holt and Ribe 1991). Men are therefore purposefully excluded from the assessment to avoid a bias in the data.

A number of project reports inform about CARE involvement in supporting community‐based savings and credit groups and their income generating activities, project implementation modalities, and also describe related livelihood changes. The information provided in these reports, however, is foremost of a qualitative nature. Baseline data on measurements of WIGG participants’ livelihood indicators is not available. In the absence of such baseline data the present PIA uses a control group – women who are members of WIGGs that have neither received support by CARE nor any other NGO3 – for comparison of livelihood indicators. In addition, longitudinal data on livelihood changes is collected by recall, i.e. women who are members in the CARE supported WIGGs compare their present day livelihood situation with that before participating in the group.

The PIA is carried out at individual and group level (Table 1). The individual level assessment is conducted in the form of questionnaire‐type interviews with 120 women; 60 women from CARE groups and 60 women from control groups. The group level assessment consists of 10 group discussions facilitated by participatory appraisal techniques with five to 10 women per group. Secondary sources of information, such as key informant interviews and project reports are used for purposes of triangulation and to gain a better understanding of the environment in which the project is implemented and how related contextual factors

1 The CARE support consists of a defined package of project activities implemented by CARE, part of which is the provision of seed money to the groups. This is described in more detail the previous chapter 1. 2 In the 2008 assessment of CARE groups (WIGGs and LMGs), 56 percent were exclusively composed of women (CARE 2008). From the total of 22 WIGGs in Borena under CARE support, eight groups also have male members at present. 3 It is important to note, nevertheless, that control groups are not entirely unattended but receive support from the CPO.

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influence the success and failure of the WIGGs. The validity of the PIA findings is furthermore consolidated by assessing the same livelihood aspects through different PRA tools.

2.2. Sampling Frame As depicted in appendix 1, there are at present 22 WIGGs under CARE support in Borena. The groups are in six districts of Borena and have a total of approximately 1750 members of which about 1630 are women. Differences in the location of the groups importantly determine access to main markets and proximity to larger urban settlements. The groups thus form two clusters: a) remote WIGGs, and b) WIGGs in proximity to urban settlements and/or a market. Slightly more than half of the WIGGs had obtained seed money from CARE at the time of the assessment.

Out of the 22 WIGGs, a sample of 10 WIGGs was selected for the PIA. In the selection preference was given to those groups that had received seed money. The purpose behind this sampling method is to allow the assessment to capture the specific benefits achieved by comparatively stronger or advanced groups that had to make choices on how to utilize the seed money for the group. Furthermore, both clusters are equally represented in the sample. The individual interviews were carried out with a random sample of six members of each of the 10 WIGGs and another six women randomly sampled from an alternative income generating group at the same 10 locations. Table 1 gives an overview of the sampling frame.

Table 1: WIGG PIA sampling frame Individual Level Group Level

Individual interviews Semi‐structured group discussions

10 CARE supported groups

6 randomly sampled women of each group total of 60 5‐10 women per group

10 control groups 6 randomly sampled women of each group total of 60

total 120 women about 80 women

2.3. Assessment Techniques The PRA tools as depicted in table 2 were used to facilitate guided group discussions with 5‐10 members per group. The discussions started by developing a time‐line of the WIGG that informs about the age of the group, key events, interventions and activities. It includes a recall of goods and services that the group received from CARE and other agencies. The time‐line was also utilized to set the temporal boundaries4 of the project (Catley et al. 2007) that provide the basis for the longitudinal approach to measuring impact.

In the next step the groups were asked to identify the income earning activities that the women engaged in since the WIGG intervention. It was discussed how these activities are perceived to have contributed to overall household income and if these have changed the way households cope with drought. The women were then asked to rank the income earning activities according to their value in positively effecting household income.

The initial plan included simple wealth ranking in the assessment, which was soon dropped from the survey. This will be referred to in more detail in the results chapter. Subsequently livelihood indicators were identified with the first groups and kept throughout the assessment.

Proportional piling was used to give values to the livelihood indicators and to make comparisons between the time before the WIGGs started and the present day.

4 Temporal project boundaries are used to define the “before and after” periods of an intervention.

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A brief institutional analysis in the form of venn diagramming (Guijt 1998) was used to describe and compare the relevance of CARE interventions with those of other agencies, individuals, and/or institutions. The main reason behind this technique is to strengthen the assessment results in respect to project attribution and to better understand the contextual factors that influence WIGG outcomes.

The individual interviews were based on a questionnaire depicted in appendix 5. The technique of proportional piling was used here with each individual to assess changes in income sources and expenditures. While this technique only generates relative changes, these were found more reliable in its informative value than accounts of absolute amounts of income and expenditures.

Table 2: Brief description of participatory methods used in the WIGG impact assessment Assessment technique Purpose Survey group

Time‐line of the WIGG To identify events and interventions that influenced the evolution of the group

5‐10 members per WIGG

Ranking the income earning activities

To evaluate the utility of different income earning activities


Proportional piling To determine the WIGG impact on the women livelihoods


To compare expenditures before and after WIGG involvement

Individual interviews

To compare contributions of different incomeearning activities

Individual interviews

Venn diagram To identify project attribution and contextual factors 5‐10 members per WIGG

Semi‐structured interviews

Basis for the groups discussions 5‐10 members per WIGG

Guidelines for the interviews Key informants

Structured questionnaire To gather data base at the individual level Individual interviews

2.4. Data Analysis The data of the individual questionnaires was entered into MS‐Excel spreadsheets (Microsoft Excel 2000, MS Office 2000, Microsoft Corporation). The data was subsequently checked and entry‐errors corrected. Responses to open‐ended questions and outcomes of group discussions and related PRA tools were transcribed into analyzable data formats. Data was subsequently transferred into STATGRAPHICS5 (XLSTAT Version 2008.6.03, Addinsoft 1995‐2008) for statistical analysis. Descriptive statistics were used for the presentation of findings. Where applicable, differences in means and frequencies were analyzed, using relevant parametric and non‐parametric test statistics. Unless otherwise indicated in the report, differences were not statistically significant. Summary statistics (descriptive) for members of CARE groups and control groups show that general household characteristics of both groups are similar. These are found in the Appendix.

5 www.statgraphics.com/

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Results

3. Group Profiles of Women Income Generating Groups A number of similarities and differences in group profiles and in the evolution the groups underwent become apparent from the time‐line information that was complied in group discussions with the members of the CARE supported WIGGs. Tables 3 and Table 4 below give transcribed information from two time‐lines that were put together with WIGGs in Yabello and Teltele districts of Borana. Box 1 depicts a scanned copy of one original time‐line of a group discussion in Yabello.

Table 3: Transcribed time‐line of the Jirenya WIGG in the Yabello Woreda

Key events Year Group activities of Jirenya WIGG in Yabello Woreda Inputs received from CARE 2006 • WIGG establishment process

• Group engaged in petty trade business • Group initiated cattle trade business (10 head of

cattle)

Women mobilization through CARE CARE provided initial training and guided the set-up of the business plan

Genna rains failed onset of 2007/2008 drought

2007 • Migration of some WIGG members • Interruption of savings scheme • With water from Dubuluk and hay from Yabello the

women bring the cattle through the drought

Heavy rains end the drought

2008 • Savings scheme re-initiated • 10 head of cattle are sold with a profit

Additional training courses received through CARE (business management, savings and credit) CARE organized the cross-visit to Negele and Hodja Group received dairy utensils from CARE

Group receives seed-money from CARE

2009 Group members engage in hay making Grain trading imitated Group builds grain store/office

CARE links the WIGG with grain traders

Source: PIA results

Table 4: Transcribed time‐line of the Hormata WIGG in the Teltele Woreda

Key events Year Group activities of Hormata WIGG in Teltele Woreda Inputs received from CARE 2005 • The WIGG is established

• Savings and credit scheme is initiated

The area experiences drought and conflict

2006 • WIGG savings and credit scheme is interrupted • Members migrate in search for water and pasture

Group stopped their activities entirely

2007 • WIGG members return to their original place • WIGG receives revolving fund (12000ETB) group

loan from CPO

Group activities re-started

2008 WIGG repays 12000ETB to CPO CARE provides training (business management, hay making) CARE conducts an experience sharing visit (with Nazret and Nagelle) CARE provides materials for building of a store/office

2009 WIGG engages in cattle trade Group receives seed-money from CARE Source: PIA results

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Box 1: Scanned copy of a time‐line from Teltele

As depicted in table 5, except for one WIGG where activities started as early as 1995, all groups have been in operation for between 3‐5 years (2004 and 2006). The emphasis the women are placing on this relatively short group engagement reflects the time horizon of CARE’s support to the groups, first under LPI and subsequently under either RREAD or ELSE projects. Women denied belonging to similar savings and loan groups in the past. In other parts of Ethiopia and across the African continent traditional savings and loan groups are very common and constitute vital social and financial support institutions (IFAD, 1998). It is possible however, that such institutions did not normally suite the pastoralist community lifestyle and related expectations in the past.

Women of a small number of groups reported to have organized themselves into groups and started loan and savings activities on their own initiative. The larger number of groups acknowledged outside intervention, which in some cases has been CARE and in others the CPO that gave the initial impetus to start the group.

The number of WIGG members ranges between 33 and 50. Women noted that it was not advisable to engage too many members in one WIGG in order to remain able to manage the group activities effectively. Likewise, proximity of location and clear interest of the member to participate in group activities are important factors in determining group membership. Two groups had stipulated by‐laws of group membership, stating that only community members actively involved in hay making were eligible WIGG members.

Table 5: General group characteristics of the surveyed ten CARE supported WIGGs Name Kebele District Year

established Number of members

Male/Female membership

CARE project

Seed money

1 Jireena Dikale Dikale Yabello 2006 36 Male/Female RREAD 25000ET 2 Bultuma Birindar Teltele 2006 33 Female ELSE 15000ET 3 Mude Fulo Tole Teltele 2006 36 Male/Female RREAD 25000ET 4 Hormata Birinda Teltele 2005 44 Female ELSE 15000ET 5 Derara Dikale Yabello 2006 34 Female ELSE 15000ET6 Negeya Magado Dire 1995 52 Female ELSE 15000ET7 Degaga‐Jirenya Chamuk Moyale 2004 47 Male/Female RREAD 25000ET 8 Ibsa‐Gemechu Mado Moyale 2006 50 Female ELSE 15000ET 9 Qarso‐Qaliti Mado Moyale 2006 46 Female ELSE 15000ET 10 Abdi‐Bori Mado Moyale 2006 37 Male/Female RREAD 25000ET

Source: PIA results

CARE already started supporting a WIGG scheme under the BVRI. With the start of the LPI project in 2005 these activities were continued until 2007. In 2008, CARE provided support to a number of newly selected WIGGs under the ELSE and RREAD projects. At present, WIGG groups are supported by CARE under a trilateral agreement between the group, CARE, and the CPO. About seven members per group participate in initial

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trainings to enable the group to develop a business plan. After the business plan is accepted as viable groups become eligible to receive seed‐money. The transaction of seed‐money takes place via a bank account of the group at the bank in one of the larger towns in the area. Groups are also encouraged to build an office/store building for which they often receive support in provision of materials and transport of the materials to the village.

Partly related to the different project phases in which the groups formed, variations in group profiles can be substantial. Additional information in Appendix 3 shows that not all groups thus far received the same training components. The groups also engage in individual savings and credit schemes to suit the group’s ability of monthly savings and other obligations. Some groups have been disrupted by drought and conflict related migration. Two groups lost all their savings as the result of a violent conflict. The time‐lines show that groups require adequately individualized support because differences in age and capacity make it necessary to consider inputs in relation to specific group requirements.

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4. Livelihood Impact of CARE supported WIGGs

4.1. Changes in Livelihood Indicators Comparison of relative importance of five key livelihood indicators6, namely “child education”, “social cohesion”, “knowledge”, “livestock assets” and “market access” before and after the WIGG interventions is depicted in diagram 1. Groups of women of the CARE supported WIGGs weighed the five livelihood indicators comparing their present livelihood situation with the situation before the WIGG exited. The relative shares of the livelihood indicators “knowledge” 7, “social cohesion” and “market access” markedly increased over the time of the WIGG interventions. “Livestock assets”7 significantly decreased.

Diagram 1: Livelihood indicators of CARE supported WIGGs before and after project interventions (N=10)

Note: For the livelihood indicators “knowledge” and “livestock assets” the test for differences in means before CARE support and in 2009 is significant at p < .05

Source: PIA results

The significant decrease in the role of livestock assets for the women requires interpretation based on the information that the women shared in the discussions that accompanied the proportional piling of livelihood indicators. Decreasing importance in half of the groups relates to the effects of the recent drought (for some in 2006/2007, others in 2008) from which their herds had not yet recovered. Most women also explained that while they gained ownership of their own livestock due to the WIGG engagement and thus had added to the household livestock assets, these have become less important as a result of the alternative income earning activities that they are now involved in. It is import to note, that in the past, even livestock that the women brought into the marriage went entirely into the hands of the husband. One of the effects of the WIGG activities has been for the women to be given more rights, including the ownership of or decision‐making power over some of the livestock.

The increased importance of trade and income earning activities are furthermore reflected in the indicator “market access” that has increased, showing that the markets for buying and selling of goods and livestock have gained in importance for the women. While women complained about their difficulties in dealing with traders and the prices they demand, they feel more adept to frequent markets and learned how to deal with traders and customers.

The women reported the largest absolute increase in the livelihood indicator “knowledge”. The role of this key positive change is further emphasized by the narratives the women provided in explaining this change. The women attribute their knowledge gain foremost to CARE project inputs in the form of training and cross‐visits. The trainings and cross visits are highly valued for the exposure, knowledge, information and experience that

6 The five livelihood indicators were identified with the first two groups and kept throughout the further assessment. 7 For the livelihood indicators “knowledge” and “livestock assets” the test for differences in means before CARE support and in 2009 is significant at p < .05

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the women generate from them. The resulting knowledge and heightened awareness about the opportunities in reach of the women have an extremely strong motivating effect. As a result the women consider “knowledge” the key to the changes that they experienced as a result of their group engagement. Box 2 further below gives some typical expressions that the women used to explain the value of knowledge and how it has turned into a key factor contributing to their empowerment.

“Social cohesion”, the ability of the women to rely on an enhanced social network and the group support in managing various aspects of their livelihood, e.g. business, decision‐making, financial and labor assistance, and solving family conflict, is likewise importantly increased since the WIGG involvement.

Box 2: Typical statements of CARE supported women WIGG members showing elements of empowerment

Source: PIA results

Contrary to the diagram results that depict a diminishing role of “child education” livelihood indicator, this has remained stable if not increased. Women explained that due to more schools, educating children has become easier and especially the education of girls has increased. Women emphasized the importance of girls’ education. In some groups women said they have always taken care to educate at least some of their children, though mostly boys, but with more financial resources available they now send their children further away and can provide higher education (college and university). As a result of the proportional piling technique, however, where the women maintain the same amount of stones, school remained less emphasized due to the attention given to changes in the earlier mentioned indicators.

As reflected in some of the key expressions of the group discussions listed in Box 2, the membership in WIGGs has had an important empowering effect on the women. Women unanimously emphasized the crucial role that the knowledge, information and exposure plays in contributing to their empowerment and the success of the income earning activities. Interestingly, women opposed a simple wealth ranking on the groups that it would have to accommodate wealth in terms of knowledge. While the women unambiguously explained the benefits of the income generating activities, their perspective is that knowledge was the foundation and thus the more vital change in their lives. Some women went as far as stating wealth would be meaningless without knowledge and awareness. The emphasis that women place in linking knowledge and income diversification shows that CARE has taken the right direction in project support by not just providing capital means in the form of seed money, but by making sure that sufficient and adequate trainings and cross‐visits give exposure, knowledge and skills to the women.

• “The wealth is in our heads.”

• “Before the head was with the men, now it is with the women.”

• “Money is useless without training.”

• “Before all the livestock was with the men. Now we also own livestock”

• “We now take part in the decision‐making of our communities”

• “Since we participated in the trainings and cross‐visits, the men are more easy with us traveling”

• “the group also assists in solving family conflict“

• “We are now more often consulted by the men”

• “We are now asked to participate in community meetings”

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5. Income Diversification of WIGG Participants

5.1. Group Income Earning Activities: Success and Failures Based on project experiences in the region (CARE/ELSE 2009; Deneke 2009), and an earlier feasibility study (Griffith 2008), the WIGGs are advised to engage in petty trade as the first joint business activity. Petty trade8 involves relatively small investments and is comparatively less risk prone. The women themselves confirmed that this advice is in line with their own preferred engagement in income earning activities. Typically women start with group activities and only later do women take loans to invest in their individual small enterprise.

Once experience has been gained with petty trade, larger investments are undertaken. Usually these involve the purchase of livestock, foremost cattle for fattening. Donkeys and camels have been bought to ease transport for group activities. Mixed accounts were given about the success of livestock purchases. Some women groups were able to make profit from periodic fluctuations in livestock prices. They bought cattle relatively cheaper during the dry months and sold it when prices are high. However, other groups had to sell during a low price period. The women regretted the loss, but remained positive, saying to have learned a lesson. Another group had lost their investment into two camels, because the animals died. One group informed about their plan to engage in large scale trade with sheep that would be in demand once restocking activities of another NGO would commence at the end of a drought.

Another income earning activity of the WIGGs, one that already demonstrates a more advanced state of group development, is the trade with maize or other cereals that are in demand locally. This can be a very lucrative activity for the women as the bulk purchase and organized bulk transport offers considerable economies of scale. The WIGGs, however, require assistance from project staff to link them up with cereal traders, who can have their warehouses as far as Shashamene, Sidamo region.

Less conventional activities that the women engage in are crop farming, preservation and sales of hides and skins, renting out improved grazing land, harvesting salt from a salt‐mine and offering loan services to outsiders. The project also encouraged dairy processing and marketing, which was not taken up yet by the women who argued that they would need training in the use of the small‐scale milk handling equipment that the CARE project supplied them with.

While the women confirmed their business success in petty trade, cattle fattening and cereal trade, crop farming has been a major strain on two out of the three groups who ventured into this activity. Harvests failed and the miss‐investment was a gross disappointment to the women, affecting group motivation very negatively. Crop farming is an activity that the women can seldom carry out relying on their own labor force only. Commonly the men of their households are requested to assist with the clearing of the fields. The negative impact of such failures thus affects not only the women but also makes the men suspicious and reluctant to further support their wives’ group engagement.

Table 6 gives an overview of the WIGG income generating activities presently undertaken and the results of their ranking according to their importance in generating additional income. While the profits gained from petty trade can be variable, grain sales have a higher margin, and cattle fattening achieves a higher lump sum cash income. The women emphasized that they still ranked petty trade first, based on its reliable returns and lower risks involved.

8 Petty trade commodities are sugar, salt, tea, tobacco and similar goods.

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Table 6: Overview of WIGG engagement in different income generating activities and their rankings Most common income earning activities Less conventional income earning activities

Rank Group and individual level Group level

1 Petty trade Crop farming, hides/skin preservation and trade, renting out grazing land, offering loan services

2 Cattle fattening

3 Grain trade

Source: PIA results

5.2. Beneficial Noncash Group Activities There are additional group activities that are not undertaken with the objective to earn cash profit, but still importantly and positively impact on the women livelihoods. These are foremost hay making and in two cases investments in setting up water cisterns. One particularly strong WIGG has built two cisterns for their communities over the course of the past six years. The women identified the need to preserve water during the rainy seasons in order to have a reserve for the dry months. When the first cistern was insufficient to help the entire community sustain one prolonged drought, they invested in the building a second and larger cistern. The women collaborated with the men of their households in this activity, who assisted in the digging of the ground. The same women were also successfully engaged in harvesting salt from a nearby salt‐mine and motivated the entire Kebele to preserve hay by their example and admonitions. The women of the WIGG narrated that sufficient hay and the ability to take small loans from the WIGGs to overcome short periods of food shortage can prevent a family from having to migrate with their livestock in search for better grazing land. This represents an important positive livelihood impact.

Hay making is advocated by CARE, as well as through the CPO and other agency interventions in the area. All groups reported to have received training in hay making, had organized themselves for this task and were actively undertaking hay preservation periodically. All groups perceived the activity as very useful in order to maintain livestock feed supplies over the dry months. The groups that were found to be more successful in carrying out other activities (IGA and savings) likewise more strongly valued the benefits of hay making. One group turned land that had initially been allocated for crop faming into grazing land. After the crop harvest failed due to lack of rains, the women decided that they could still gain income from renting the land out for livestock use.

Two WIGGs reported to offer loan services beyond their group members to outsiders. The interest that people pay on the loan is an additional income for the group. While this activity is innovative, works well for the group and arguably serves a dire local need to have access to small short term amounts of credit, it is unclear whether this is not an activity that only formally registered financial institutions are allowed to offer to their clients.

5.3. Relative Changes in Income from Individual Income Earning Activities Diagram 2 depicts the relative changes in different income sources for CARE and control groups at present and in the time before WIGG interventions. Both CARE and control groups derive similar overall income shares, namely 42.3% and 38.1% respectively, from livestock and livestock product sales. Moreover, both group shares from livestock related income have not changed in association with the WIGG involvement.

The relative changes in income from trade and other sources9 are more pronounced for women in the control groups. The income share from trade has importantly increased while the income share from other sources of income has markedly decreased since the WIGG involvement. The increase in the income share from trade is expected to take place as a result of WIGG involvement and as such would represent a positive outcome. In the case of the CARE supported WIGGs, the changes in income shares from trade are smaller and remain considerably below these of control groups. However, the women of the CARE supported WIGGs experienced a

9 Other income source are firewood and PSNP

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marked drop in income shares from crop farming. The largest positive change in income share is derived from an increase in relative income from other sources.

The relative changes in income derived from trade (petty trade) are markedly larger for women of the control groups than for the women of CARE groups, where the positive change is not very pronounced. This result – showing that women of CARE supported groups might not have benefited as much from petty trade10 – is difficult to interpret. It is, however, partly related to the PRA technique that does not inform about absolute overall changes in income. It must also be noted that the data informs about individual income generating activities, not the success of group income generating activities. It is possible that the women of the control groups are simply more successful in petty trade. They could also receive much stronger support from the CPO, which could backfire in terms of project sustainability.

At least two of the CARE supported WIGG groups experienced total crop failures. It is therefore not surprising that the share of individual income from crop farming is negative, as the crop failure was attributed to drought.

Diagram 2: Comparison of individual income generating activities before and after WIGG involvement for members of CARE groups (N=56) and control groups (N=61)

Source: PIA results

5.4. Femaleheaded Household Benefited most from the WIGG Activities Since the individual questionnaire captures informants’ gender history, comparison of the loans collected for trade purposes and the proportion of income obtained from these trade activities before and after the WIGG initiative was implemented is possible. The test statistics used here to establish significant differences is chi‐square. The analysis was repeated for two distinct gender groups – women who are the head of their household and women from male‐headed households – to find out who benefited more from the WIGG initiative. The comparison was done using data obtained from a total of 104 male‐headed and 13 female‐headed individual informants that were randomly sampled from the lists of members of the WIGGs.

The assessment showed that following the WIGG based trade initiative the proportion of income derived from trade activity increased as follows:

10 Note that these are relative changes and the absolute amounts are unknown

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• Overall, the proportion of income generated from trade activities increased from 13.4% to 20.3%, being a 51.8% increment on average.

• On average, the proportion of income generated from trade activities by female‐headed households increased from 10.75% to 19.85%, being a 84.6% increment. On average, the proportion of income generated from trade activity by male‐headed households only increased from 15.8% to 20.7%, being a 29.7% increment.

• In both, the CARE beneficiary and control WIGGs studied, on average, the female‐headed households have borrowed significantly higher amounts of money from their WIGG for trade purpose than the male‐headed households.

• In both female‐ and male‐headed CARE beneficiary households, the amount of money borrowed for trade purpose after the CARE seed‐money was significantly higher than the amount of money borrowed for trade purpose before the CARE seed‐money was received..

• In the CARE beneficiary WIGGs, on average, the proportion of income generated from trade activity by female‐ and male‐headed households increased from 7.8% to 8.7% and from 14.1% to 17.2%, being around 12% and 22% increment respectively.

• In the control WIGG studied, on average, the proportion of income generated from trade activity by female‐ and male‐headed households increased from 13.7% to 31% and from 17.9% to 24.3%, being around 36% and 26% increment respectively.

Although the findings of the assessment showed that the WIGG members’ income from trade activity was generally improving, various funding and policy changes remain to be addressed. These include the generally very poor financial capacity of the WIGGs and the absence of reliable source of credit facility in Borena area. The average WIGG membership period of informants of this assessment was calculated at 50‐months and 45‐months for the members of the CARE beneficiary and control WIGG studied respectively. The total amount of money borrowed by members of the CARE beneficiary and control WIGGs during these periods was 41,555 ETB and 36,420 ETB, therefore, the average amount collected per month per woman was 15.80 ETB and 13.25 ETB respectively. In this regard, the women explained the impact of the insufficient working capital on their income from trade activity.

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6. Group Loan and Savings Operations

6.1. Group Savings All WIGGs started their group engagement around the loan and savings function with agreements on monthly or weekly contributions to a common group fund. These financial schemes are comparatively simple and easy to handle without prior banking knowledge. What is required, however, is diligent recording which is not easy for the women who are mostly illiterate. The other main planning obligation for the groups is to set up a business plan and to decide on their group income earning activities. The returns of the group income generating activities, the savings and interest on loans all serve to build up the group’s capital. Some groups possess impressive capital resources.

The groups that started operations under outside interventions immediately adopted a fixed scheme that consists of membership fee11, share12 and monthly savings13. The specific amounts of these individual contributions are agreed upon by the group members and vary from group to group. Table 7 gives an overview over the approximate amounts contributed by the women across different groups. Loans are typically paid back in time. Very few cases of breaching the loan and savings obligation were recorded. The breaching of the agreement leads to expulsion from the group.

Some women groups agreed on very small monthly savings amounts initially and were impressed by the effect that even these small sums would make in terms of accumulating funds that enable them to take loans in times of need. Women acknowledged that the loan and savings scheme also taught them the value of regular savings.

Table 7: WIGG savings and group fund contributions

Savings and loan contributions Range of amounts groups agreed upon

Monthly savings 3‐10 BirrRegistration fee 20‐80 BirrShare 20‐80 Birr6‐12 months loan 10% interest

Source: PIA results

6.2. Loans and the Purpose of Loans Taken More than two thirds of the women members take loans for individual purposes from their respective WIGG funds; namely 68% and 75% women of the CARE supported WIGGs and of the control WIGGs, respectively. The minimum amount borrowed has been 50 ETB and the maximum between 4000 and 6000 ETB. The average loans taken by women of CARE and control WIGGs over the past 12 months are depicted in Diagram 3.

The women of the CARE supported WIGGs have borrowed an overall average of about 742 ETB and the women of the control WIGG have borrowed an overall average of about 597 ETB. Women of the CARE supported WIGGs borrowed considerably more money for petty trade purposes (557 ETB by CARE supported WIGGs compared to 341 ETB by the control WIGGs). Women of the CARE supported WIGGs also borrowed markedly more money for child education (104 ETB by CARE supported WIGGs compared to 13 ETB by the control WIGGs). Women of the control groups borrowed more money for food purchases, namely about 163 ETB as opposed to about 24 ETB by the CARE supported WIGGs.

11 The membership fee is paid once into the group fund and also requested by the CPO 12 The share is paid into the group fund and determines the individual amounts paid out in times of redistribution of funds to the members 13 A fixed sum usually paid on a monthly basis

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Diagram 3: Average loans taken by women of CARE groups (N=56) and control groups (N=61) over the past 12 months

Source: PIA results

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7. Coping Strategies to Mitigate the Effects of Drought About half of the WIGGs have adopted drought mitigation strategies. These are collective actions devised by the women of the groups to overcome the effects of drought. Each group has elaborated their own specific activities requiring the allocation of different financial and other resources. The coping strategies are not simply focusing on the well‐being of the women and their families alone, but typically embrace the welfare of the entire community.

The most distinct actions are as follows:

• Ten head of cattle are sustained over a drought by the concerted efforts and resources of a WIGG;

• The WIGG initiates collective hay collection in their larger community;

• A group decided to use its savings to purchase water for people and livestock;

• A group constructs two water cisterns for themselves and their community;

• Three groups decide to pay‐off the WIGG group savings to its members for individual purchases of food items.

It is foremost the WIGGs that are successfully engaged in group income generating activities and demonstrate to be well‐organized that have adopted drought mitigating strategies. Most unconventional is the decision to pay‐off group funds in an emergency, as this is not part of any training advice and not a formal function of the WIGG. It helped some families to avoid migration and had a strong positive livelihood impact on the families.

8. Agency Interventions in Support of WIGGs

8.1. CARE Support to WIGGs Box 3 gives an overview over the various types of support the WIGGs received from CARE. There are specific training sessions and organized cross‐visits to other groups, both aiming to provide the knowledge and experience that the women need to be well‐organized, to maintain proper loan and savings operations and to successfully engage in their income generating activities.

Most of the groups had received hay making training and some form of training in small business management and/or group organization and leadership. A few groups reported training in hides and skins preservation. A number of WIGGs had received small scale equipment for milk processing but no group reported to have used it. They either complained that there was no milk due to drought or that they had not been given the training that would teach them in the use of the equipment. CARE project staff also assists in linking the WIGGs to grain traders when required.

CARE also assists in providing material inputs, such as construction materials for the building of store and/or office. Some groups also reported to have received office stationary, such as books for record keeping, stamps, etc.. The inputs and support are not delivered in a uniform manner, which is partly related to the fact that all groups are also supported through the CPO. CARE collaborates with the CPO and many activities are carried out jointly by the two agencies. Typically the CPO provides staff and trainers and CARE provides the logistics and financial means required for the training or cross‐visits.

CARE also gave out seed money to the WIGGs interviewed (see Appendix 3), but this has only happened very recently. The CARE seed‐money had been transferred to the groups between January and June 2009. Five of WIGGs had not yet received the money at the time of the assessment.

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Box 3: Trainings and other CARE inputs

Training: Provision of construction materials:

‐ Savings and credit ‐ Concrete, corrugated iron sheets, transport ‐ Business management ‐ Provision of office stationary materials ‐ Milk processing ‐ Seed‐money14

‐ Hay making ‐ Hides and skins

Source: PIA results

8.2. Other Supporting Agencies and CARE Project Attribution Table 8 provides the results of a simple institutional analysis in the form of the venn diagram technique where women identified CARE’s and other agencies’ and institutions’ linkages and/or support to the WIGGs (a scanned copy of a venn diagram is shown in box 4). The types of agencies names and their role is relatively straightforward. Groups are supported by a small number of agencies and institutions, foremost CARE and the CPO. In terms of perceived closeness and usefulness in support activities CARE holds the first position with ranks 1 and 2. The CPO is equally close and useful. Some groups, however, also expressed discontent with the CPO in terms of their infrequent visits and demand for group registration fees. Cross‐checking information on agency involvement showed that the women were not always able to correctly differentiate between CPO and CARE interventions. This is not surprising, given that both agencies collaborate closely at times, with CARE providing financial and logistical inputs while CPO sent their staff to carry out training and cross‐visits.

Box 4: Scanned copy of venn diagram from of a group in Yabello

Schools have been mentioned reflecting the importance of literacy in order to carry out recording tasks. Often, the women rely on their children who go to school. Some women received brief instruction in reading and writing, but found it insufficient to actually do the recording themselves. Trades are mentioned in recognition of their role in supplying the goods for the petty trade, grain and livestock trade. They are not considered close to the groups, though since the women find their price demands unfair.

While the Kebele Office is at times perceived as helpful, since the women find a person there to assist in the recoding, it is not ranked highly. Women rely on the office for administrative purposes, but said that they do not find the kind of support they would hope to get.

14 15000ETB under ELSE, 25000 under RREAD projects

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Table 8: Ranking agencies for their support and use for WIGGs

Agency/Institution Ranking Position Inputs and benefits received from the agency

CARE 1/2 Group organization, training, seed money, linkages, materials

CPO 2/1/5 Group organization, training, legal procedures, record keeping, link to CARE

School 3 Enables directly/indirectly record keeping

Health Post 4/3/2 Heightened awareness on hygiene and sanitation

Traders 3/5/6 Cattle and grain trade

Kebele Office 4/5 Record keeping, administrative support

Bank, Community/customers, Red Cross

Source: PIA results

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9. Discussion

9.1. The Appropriateness of the Participatory Impact Assessment Approach

This impact assessment was undertaken with the primary aim of identifying and measuring the impact on livelihoods of women participating in the CARE supported WIGGs in Borana, Southern Ethiopia. Prior to the assessment a number of studies informed about the success of the CARE supported WIGGs. These have, however, been individual accounts or narratives in the form of case studies. A specific emphasis of the present assessment has thus been to use an approach that generates representative information, where possible numerical, and statistically validated.

The assessment approach therefore combined participatory appraisal techniques with a more conventional survey component. The participatory appraisal, mostly in the form of group discussions supported by a number of PRA tools, provides the in‐depth information necessary to understand the complex local livelihood perspective of the women WIGG members. The survey, on the other hand, used a questionnaire‐type inquiry carried out with representative samples of women from CARE supported WIGGs and control WIGGs. In addition, key informant interviews and reviews of secondary source materials assisted to elucidate the larger WIGG context and served triangulation purposes.

The expectations into the combined assessment approach have been largely met. The group discussions with ten CARE supported WIGGs in Borana produced a clear picture of the livelihood changes that took place since the women participate in the groups. It also helped to generate the understanding necessary to place these findings into its larger context. During the field work it became apparent, however, that much of the quantitative data sought after would not be generated. Since the respondents were, with few exceptions, illiterate women, many of whom newly ventured into small enterprise with little former experience. Their understanding about concepts such as profit, income and household assets was very varied. Group records are available about the members’ savings and loans, but not how these are utilized within the household. However, the numerical data collected in this assessment can serve future studies as baseline data.

The participatory methodology used in this assessment is useful and highly recommendable. It gives the women sufficient room to express their perceptions and to provide explanations to place livelihood changes in the local context. It must be noted that related indicators, even when they are expressed numerically should be regarded rough estimates. The findings furthermore demonstrate that an approach that generates in‐depth understanding at the expense of more numerical results is appropriate that at this point in time. While there have been monetary gains, the non‐tacit benefits – dynamics leading to women empowerment ‐ are more important to the women at present.

A follow‐up assessment can make use of the data as a baseline. However, it is recommended to consider a less participatory approach but emphasize the gathering of more detailed household data instead, if it is aimed at gaining a better idea of a quantifiable impact at household level.

9.2. Successes and Challenges of the Women Income Generating Groups The findings of the group discussions ascertain that the majority of CARE supported WIGGs are successfully engaged in group income generating activities, foremost petty trade, grain trade and cattle fattening. About 70% of the WIGG members take small loans from the group funds for individual small enterprise and other investments and expenditures.

In comparison to the control groups, CARE supported WIGGs take up higher loans and utilize them more frequently to invest in child education and petty trade. Women of CARE supported WIGGs have taken up small enterprise activities individually, benefit from the saving and loan services of the groups, and diversify their

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income, but changes in relative income are not significant. However, while differences in use of loans and income diversification between the CARE groups and the control groups are not significant, the PIA found that the women of female headed households borrowed significantly higher amounts of money from their WIGGs for trade purposes than those of male headed households. Similarly the proportion of income obtained from trade activities by the female headed households was significantly higher than that of the male headed households. Gemetessa at al. (2005) show that a comparatively large number of households in Borana are female headed households (up to 30% in some areas) and that these households are disproportionally more often among the poor and destitute. This suggests that the WIGG approach that CARE implements has a particularly strong positive impact on the most vulnerable households.

Moreover, before the WIGG scheme was initiated income from sales of firewood stood second to income from livestock, which accounted for 34.0% and 29.3% of the total household income respectively in the femla headed households. Following the WIGG initiatives the proportion of income obtained from sales of firewood declined from 29.3% to 25% as their income from trade activity increased from 10.5% to 19%. The promotion of the WIGG initiative has not only had a positive impact on the income of female headed households, but has also reduced their level of dependency on sales of firewood, reducing related risks of environmental damage and natural resource depletion.

Female illiteracy and temporary migration caused by drought and conflict are important challenges for the operation of the WIGGs. However, project experience so far has shown that these challenges can be overcome. In this regard, the CARE project staff follows a state‐of‐the‐art participatory approach and facilitates the groups instead of imposing particular activities. Nevertheless, the women need adequate training in literacy and basic calculus. While technical and management training components are highly appreciated, the literacy classes are considered insufficient. As a result the women depend on outside help, most commonly their children, for the group recording which can only be a temporary solution.

The WIGGs have demonstrated that they will re‐initiate group activities after the members have returned from temporary migrations. There were no signs that temporary disruptions endanger the vitality of the groups. Nevertheless, in order to make migration as little disruptive to the groups as possible, the WIGGs might be advised to take up measures that will ensure a smooth continuation of the WIGG activities after the temporary break. These could be stipulated in the group bylaws. It is furthermore important to note that strong, well‐organized WIGGs devise innovative strategies to mitigate the effects of drought, as discussed in more detail in the next chapter. Notably, the women groups show a vital concern for their community welfare and often encourage the entire community to get involved in activities such as hay making or to contribute to water preservation.

The most severe challenge that jeopardizes the viability of a number of WIGGs affects those groups that are closely supervised by the Cooperative Promotion Office (CPO). The CPO tends to impose specific income earning activities on the groups or rushes them to join into formal lager cooperative units, despite the group’s lack of organizational capacity for that step. While the collaborative partnership between CARE and the CPO is perceived as mutually advantageous and of important benefit to the project participants in the long run, both agencies operate with conflicting objectives. The CPO works under a policy directive that aims at graduating as many WIGGs as quickly as possible into larger units of cooperatives. CARE supported groups on the other hand are individually supported with the aim to promote the sort of group capacity building that ensures sustainability and self‐reliance of the WIGGs. While the certification of WIGGs under the CPO grants them formal status and better access to financial capital, the push towards forming large formal WIGGs that can quickly be merged into cooperatives forms the single most important challenge for CARE’s WIGG scheme at present. In the process of scaling‐up the WIGG approach, CARE will have to find new ways of working with the CPO and both agencies might have to redefine their roles and actions with regard to the CARE supported WIGGs.

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9.3. The Role of Social Empowerment The PIA findings suggest that a very significant livelihood change that the women experienced thus far is non‐economic and relates to a range of factors that contribute to women empowerment. Where the women explained how they benefited from the WIGG membership, they emphasized a substantial increase in knowledge and self‐esteem. They pointed out that the combination of more knowledge and experience and enhanced social cohesion among group members enhances their social empowerment to the degree that they are now invited by the male members of their communities to participate in community decision‐making processes.

These findings are in line with the outcomes of earlier studies in Borana (CARE/ELSE 2008; Griffith 2008) and the more general expectations into the effect of such community‐based groups (Premchander 1994). Experiences elsewhere in Ethiopia (CARE no date) and other parts of Africa (IFAD 1998) document that social empowerment is typically the first noticeable and most substantial positive change in the lives of women who participate in CBOs and successful group income generating activities.

However, the fact that women place less emphasis on more tangible, economic benefits derived from group membership should not be interpreted as a shortcoming. In fact, the women explain that they regard their empowerment and newly gained knowledge as the basis for present and future success in small enterprise. In addition, with an average age of four to five years, most CARE supported groups are still comparatively young. Often, tangible impact is not expected before groups have become functional and sustainable, which alone can be expected to take three years (PARIMA 2008).

This outcome of the PIA is of particular consequence in correctly understanding the value of different inputs that CARE provides to the groups. While it has been suggested that financial capital is insufficient for the WIGGs to allow members to properly invest in individual small enterprise, the role of training and cross‐visits is even more highly appreciated by the women. This is done on the basis that it provides the foundation for any business success. Social empowerment also enhances indirect impact of the WIGGs within the larger community. While it might be advisable for CARE to look into alternative options of providing the groups with more financial capital, attention should not shift away from trainings and cross‐visits. The latter should rather be maintained if not intensified.

9.4. Stateoftheart Approaches to WIGGs and the Pastoral Livelihood Context

Concerns have been voiced about the appropriateness of utilizing an approach that combines traditional savings and loan groups and income generating activities in the pastoral livelihood context because migration, illiteracy and limited market access have shown to work against these schemes. Contrary to this expectation, the findings of the assessment demonstrate positive impact of the WIGG approach on livelihood diversification, the primary aim of the CARE supported activities.

The CARE approach that builds on facilitation rather than outside interference promotes strong WIGGs that undertake well‐planned and well‐organized group activities. A number of groups have taken up new ideas in engaging in income generating activities and confidently experiment with their savings and loan operations therewith responding to local needs.

The examples of WIGG drought mitigation strategies and successful risk management described in the report demonstrate that the specific roles that WIGGs can play in the pastoral context are beginning to emerge. Women empowerment is certainly one key feature. Moreover, the women show a great concern not only for their own and their family wellbeing, but for that of their entire communities. The stronger, well‐organized groups initiate their own drought coping strategies, but also ensure that the larger community gets engaged and would also benefit from the activities. Often this would involve encouragement of community members to

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preserve hay; or as in one case the construction of cisterns sufficiently large to store water for the whole village. The combination of hay storage and disbursements of group capital to members for food purchases during a prolonged drought enabled WIGG families to avoid migration. The women considered this a major livelihood improvement.

Women are particularly encouraged by their ability to make monthly savings and utilize small loans for their enterprise and households needs. While the conventional idea behind the loan and savings function of the group is primarily to enable women small enterprises, the WIGG women members have devised ways to directly utilize them for their household needs15. As mentioned above, periodic disbursements of group funds in times of need during a drought imply a key function of group savings and other income generating activities in the pastoral livelihood context. This signifies a local capacity that integrates well with the national safety net program.

The proportional piling of livestock indicators shows a decrease in the importance of livestock assets. While these results must not be overemphasized due to the methodology utilized, the findings show that as least for women the small capital reserve with the WIGG substitutes for investments in livestock. For the women livestock is a more functional commodity that a social and capital asset.

The findings of the impact assessment underline the importance to maintain a state‐of‐the‐art approach in support of WIGGs. This has earlier been demonstrated by PARIMA, who pioneered the IGA approach in Borana (PARIMA 2008) und is further established by the observations of this study. Interviews with CARE staff and observations during the assessment confirmed that CARE pursues such state‐of‐the‐art approach, which revolves around the “organic” growth of the WIGGs. A realistic timeframe for facilitating sustainable, self‐reliant and confident groups looks at growth cycles that span two to three year periods.

Moreover, imposing specific pre‐set IGA schemes, as often exercised by the CPO, is counterproductive. These schemes are partly devised with great concern for local community welfare and are in line with other public policy objectives such as better market access and improving physical infrastructure. Nevertheless, some of these objectives are highly politicized, either imposing the settlement of pastoralists or insisting on their mobile lifestyle. The tendency to use WIGGs for these politicized purposes is rather obvious. Where WIGGs are not left to engage in activities that they perceive feasible but are rushed into politically favored schemes, they will sooner or later collapse. CARE will have to find ways to ensure that the resources it invests into the WIGGs do not come to waste as a result.

9.5. WIGGs strive under CARE Support and Contributions of other Agencies that create an overall Enabling Environment

At present CARE supports the WIGGs in a highly competent manner and employs sufficient resources to facilitate the groups individually on a one by one basis. Staff encourages and guides rather than dominates and prescribes the WIGG organization and activities. Other non‐governmental organizations in the area also utilize WIGG‐similar approaches with partially differing objectives, emphasizing outcomes such as natural resource preservation and conflict resolution. However, there is limited directed collaboration between these agencies. In a few instances – for example with groups under Save the Children support in other part of the country – cross‐visits are feasible and have been jointly organized. The financial and other related assistance that flows to CARE supported WIGGs comes exclusively from CARE. The larger part of this assistance is provided in the form of training courses and cross‐visits followed by seed‐money that is injected in groups of sufficient capacity.

15 Exemplary for this is the rational of one women who explained how she utilizes a loan. She takes 1000ETB and buys a mattress for 300ETB for her child and a head of cattle for 700ETB. She fattens the cattle and sells it for 1200ETB. She pays back the loan with interest (1100ETB) and still remains with 100ETB for other purposes.

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The WIGGs are also embedded in a larger environment of government support and institutional change. Foremost, the Women’s Affairs Office has been active in promoting women’s rights. The awareness that has arisen out of these campaigns is very noticeable among the women. Girls education is more frequent and highly praised by the Borana women who are also more assertive when it comes to their own changing role and status. In this respect, the WIGGs provide the means to engage in women group activities come just at the right time to give momentum to the opportunities opening up for women. However, little can be inferred at present about the dynamic social change and it is necessary to remain observant that not put too much pressure on the communities to undergo rapid social change.

As mentioned above, the close collaboration with the CPO, which is fundamentally a very positive development, is controversial. To achieve and maintain larger impact and systemic capacity building, it is without question necessary for CARE to not only support the WIGGs but also the government administration that works with the WIGGs. The leading office here is the CPO. The related government policy is to increase productivity and market access in Borana as in other parts of the country via cooperative schemes. As a result communities are organized into groups and subsequently into cooperatives and the CPO is in charge to guide and streamline these activities. CARE will need to find ways to more strongly advocate its pro‐poor vision and approach, especially for disadvantaged groups, where employment of cooperative schemes is premature.

10. Recommendations

10.1. Options for Scalingup and the Role of CARE The positive impact of WIGGs on the livelihoods of participating women justifies scaling‐up of these activities, especially in the pastoralist livelihood context. CARE will have to find a modus operandi with its second main partner besides the women, namely the CPO, to freely implement its pro‐poor approach in support of WIGG activities. Part of the solution is to keep a focus on disadvantaged and more remote communities, to clarify respective agency roles, and to ensure that groups are not rushed into cooperative schemes. While challenges such as conflict and migration due to drought are beyond CAREs influence, the challenge of enabling women to independently keep group records can be tackled by providing more and better suited literacy programs to the women. Periodic inquiries into training needs of the women and flexible response in the regard are necessary. The WIGGs have reached different stages in their capacity development and thus have diverse requirements. There is no one‐fits‐all training approach. Stronger collaboration with another non‐governmental agencies will make it more easy to respond adequately to the different needs of the WIGGs.

Some WIGGs devised very innovative ways related to income generating activities und the utilization of the loan and savings scheme. This trend must be further sustained and facilitated. Relying on the same petty trade commodities for further scaling‐up might not be feasible in the medium to long term as local markets get saturated. Some viable alternatives have been embraced by more innovative groups, such as water and grazing land improvements. Other potential activities might rather be located in areas of natural resource conservation and possibly handicrafts. No group thus far has taken up value addition in processing and trading of dairy products. It is necessary to investigate the reasons for this.

The WIGG approach will benefit from more transparency in project implementation by all involved agencies. CARE could develop a related framework of support that documents the inputs provided to groups over time. It is also suggested to develop a set of indicators that assists staff of various agencies to recognize the capacity and strength of a group.

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Agencies will also need to foster peer‐learning mechanisms around their WIGG approaches, for which it is imperative to involve related government administration. A policy learning dialogue with the respective government agencies can help to overcome the often too mechanistic administration of cooperative promotion that jeopardizes the establishment of strong, self‐reliant, and accountable WIGGs. CARE’s role in all this must be to advocate the pro‐poor vision in respect to the use of the WIGG approach.

10.2. Policy Recommendations Recognizing the role and potential of income generating activities in combinations with credit and saving schemes for pastoralist women, CARE has been promoting the establishment of the WIGGs in the Borana pastoral areas. The NGOs’ principle of promoting the WIGG scheme is the practical approach to ensuring pastoral women access to credit. Over time, and with specific attention to the fact that the WIGG initiative should reduce the level of dependence on outsider support, CARE is seeks to safeguard the sustainability of the groups by transferring the responsibilities of organizing and supervising WIGGs to the concerned local government body. Currently, CARE is working together with the Oromiya cooperative promotion office (CPO) to sustain the credit and saving initiatives through certifying the WIGGs. Linkages to other agencies, especial other non‐governmental organizations exist, but they are mostly on an ad‐hoc basis. Whereas the managerial and technical supports that the groups receive from CARE – typically through processes in collaboration with the CPO – are highly appreciated, concerns have been raised that the financial capacity of the groups has been neglected.

1. Given that increased drought frequency has not only further aggravated the vulnerability of already poor women pastoralists, but has also started to undermine the role of local restocking capacities, the WIGG credit and saving scheme needs to be promoted as part of drought cycle management strategy.

2. While the majority of pastoralists in the Borana region have been organized into groups or cooperatives by the government in order to promote the expansion of trade activities and other alternative income generation schemes, the support from non‐governmental organizations including CARE should focus on ensuring the impact of the WIGG approach through:

• Prioritizing WIGGs formed by poor pastoralist women, especially female headed households

• Further promoting individual‐based small business initiatives, ensuring that adequate financial inputs are available and dispersed to individual members by the groups

3. Both WIGG functions – alternative income generation and savings/loans – are significant for livelihood diversification and the WIGGs must be supported to use the schemes in ways that best fit the pastoral context. Some groups have started to successfully innovate in this regard, which should be further promoted. CARE should also get engaged in activities that enable the required institutional or policy changes at regional levels.

• Both, financial and social empowerment of women WIGG members must remain the focus of CARE support

• Groups must be further enabled to experiment/innovate with the WIGG scheme

• Specific attention should be given to the types of drought mitigation strategies that are devised as part of the process of women engagement in collective action, savings and credit an income generating activities

4. It is necessary to promote WIGG’s as an appropriate approach in pastoral systems at the level of public policy, emphasizing the necessity of an enabling environment. In this regard it is necessary to

• Generate better understanding of the different roles of different actors/agencies

• Generate awareness about the need to foster strong viable groups versus large numbers of cooperatives

• Foster collaborative efforts among agencies and groups by developing guidelines, a common system of group capacity indicators and a transparent approach to group supporting activities

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11. References Blench, Roger, 2001. “You can’t go home again” – Pastoralism in the new millennium. ODI. London, UK.

CARE, no date. Community Self‐help Savings Groups: a means to an end, Lessons. CARE, Ethiopia. CARE Ethiopia Revolving Funds – Process Guidelines

CARE/ELSE, 2008. ELSE‐Enhanced Livelihoods in Southern Sudan, Assessment Report of CBOs. Borena Field Office, CARE International, Yabello, Ethiopia.

CARE/ELSE, 2009. Project Activities Progress Report December to February 2009. ELSE – Enhanced Livelihoods in Southern Ethiopia, Borena Field Office, CARE International, Yabello, Ethiopia.

Catley, Andrew, Burns, John, Dawit, Abebe, and Omeno Suji, 2007. Participatory Impact Assessment, A Guide for Practitioners. Feinstein International Centre, Tufts University. Melford, USA.

Gemetessa, Kejela, Emana, Bezabih, and Waktole Tiki, no date. Livelihood Diversification in Borana Pastoral Communities of Ethiopia – Prospects and Challenges. Gemtessa%20Livelihood%20Diversification%20of%20the%20Pastoral%20Communities%20of%20Borena.pdf

Deneke, Belachew, 2009. Pre‐final Progress Report August 2008 to March 2009. RREAD – Regional Resiliency Enhancement Against Drought Project, CARE Ethiopia, Yabello, Ethiopia.

Griffith, Matt, 2008. PLI/ENABLE IGA Harmonization Assessment. Report submitted to CARE PLI/ENABLE, CARE International, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Guijt, Irene, 1998. Participatory monitoring and impact assessment of sustainable agriculture initiatives. SARL Discussion Paper, 1. IIED, London, UK.

Holt, S., and H. Ribe, 1991. Developing Financial Institutions for the Poor and Reducing Barriers to Access for Women, Discussion Paper, 117. World Bank. Washington D.C..

IFAD, 1998. Ghana: LACOSREP I, Mid‐term Evaluation Report. IFAD ‐ Office of Evaluation and Studies, Rome, Italy.

Pantuliano, Sara, and Mike Wekesa, 2008. Improving drought response in pastoral regions of Ethiopia. Humanitarian Policy Group, ODI, London. London, UK.

PARIMA, 2008. Successful implementation of collective action and human‐capacity building among pastoralists in southern Ethiopia: Lessons learned, 2001‐2008. Research Brief, 08‐03. Pastoral Risk management Project, CRSP. USA

Premchander, Smita, 1994. Income generating programmes for rural women ‐ examining the role of NGOs. Small Enterprise Development, 5 (1), pp.14‐20.

Scoons, Ian, 2009. Livelihoods perspective and rural development. Journal of Peasant Studies, 63 (1).

Sebstad, J., and M. Cohen, 2001. Microfinance, Risk Management and Poverty, World Bank, Washington, D.C..

UN OCHA PCI, 2007. The Future of Pastoralism in Ethiopia. UN OCHA Pastoralist Communication Initiative. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

WISP, 2008. Policies that Work for Pastoral Environments – A six‐country review of positive policy impacts on pastoral environments. The World Initiative for Sustainable Pastoralism. Nairobi, Kenya.

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List of Interview Partners ‐ Sehoum Tezere, Field Supervisor, PARIMA ‐ ?? CARE ‐ Hussain Kotola, Program Coordinator, CIFA, Moyale ‐ ?? Field Supervisor, Action for Development, Yabello ‐ Ato Mesfin Cooperative Promotion Office ‐ Moyale, ‐ Huka Garse, ODA Field Coordinator, SOS Sahel Ethiopia, Yabello ‐ Aliou Mustapha, ELSE Project Manager, CARE, Yabello ‐ Belachew Deneke RREAD Project Manager, CARE, Yabello

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Appendix 1 List of community based organizations engaged in income generation activities in operational districts of ELSE and RREAD projects S/N Name of CBO District PA Number of members Remark

Male Female Total1 Jiregna Dikale Yabello Dikale 0 34 34 Received seed money (ELSE) 2 Bultuma Yabello Harwayu 0 34 34 Received seed money (ELSE) 3 Kayo Hara Yabello Harwayu 0 19 19 4 Negelle Teltelle Diba Gaya 0 20 20 Received seed money (RREAD) 5 Mude Teltelle Fulo Tole 10 26 36 Received seed money (RREAD)6 Bultuma Teltelle Birindar 0 40 40 Received seed money (ELSE) 7 Goro Misoma Teltelle Birindar 8 3 118 Hormata Teltelle Birindar 0 46 46 9 Nagegna Teltelle Birindar 5 5 1010 Nagaya Dire Dika Jarsa 0 52 52 11 Darara Dire Madhacho 0 23 23 Received seed money (RREAD)12 Hora Bula Dire Madhacho 15 13 28 13 Bali Miyo Madhacho 8 21 29 Received seed money (ELSE)14 Nagaya Dhas Dhas 2 32 34 15 Kayo Dhas Dhas Dhas 47 8 55 16 Chokorsa Dhas Dhas 0 11 11 17 Karso Kaliti Moyale Mado 0 50 50 Received seed money (ELSE) 18 Chokorsa Mado Moyale Mado 0 50 50 Received seed money (ELSE)19 Insa Gemechu Moyale Mado 0 50 50 Received seed money (ELSE) 20 Abdi Bori Moyale Mado 0 37 37 Received seed money (RREAD)21 Dagaga Jiregna Moyale Chamuk 17 30 47 Received seed money (RREAD) 22 Chala sav. & cre. Moyale Tuka 0 30 30 Received seed money (RREAD)Note: The records given does not include all community based income generating groups found in all operational Pas of the two projects. It incorporates only those IGA groups included in the assessment conducted by ELSE and those groups that were provided seed money by the RREAD project.

Source: CARE Yabello office

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Appendix 2 Name age Members Project Seed money Activities training savings cohesion others Jirenya in Dikale, Yabello

?? CARE/CPO

36 (M/F) RREAD 15000 Birr (build store)

Petty trade Cattle fattening Grain trade

Group management, milk processing, Hay making Hides and skins,Cross-visists

5/10 savings 20 reg. free 84 share 10% interest

Very strong (model)

CARE provided materials (churner, furniture, rec book, building materials)

Bultuma in Birindar, Teltele

2006 CARE/CPO

33 (F) ELSE 25000 Birr Petty trade Cattle fattening Grain trade

Group management, Milk processing, hay making, Hides and skins,,Business management, Shoats management,R and R training,Cross-visits

5 savings 30 reg. fee 30 share 10% interest

Very strong

Mude in Fulo Tole, Teltele

2006/2009 36 (M/F) RREAD 25000 Birr Cattle fattening Shoats trade Loan services Grain trade honey

Business management Refresher training


strong Total loss 2008 due to conflict

Hormata in Birinda, Teltele

2005 44 (F) ELSE 15000 Birr Cattle trade Business management Hay making Cross-visits

3 savings 720 reg. free 50 share 10% interest

Total disruption 2006

Various materials provided by CARE

Derara in Dikale, Yabello

2006 CARE

34 (F) ELSE 25000 Birr Petty trade Cattle fattening Grain trading

Savings and credit Business management Hay making Cross visits

5 /10 savings ? 20 share No loans

strong Various materials by CARE

Nagaya in Magado, Dire

1995 52 (F) ELSE 15000 Birr

Two cisterns Magado salt Petty trade Cattle fattening

Business management, Group management, Hay making, Cross visits, Hides and skins, Shoats management, Markets linkages

1/5 savings ? 20 share

Very strong Some construction materials by CARE

Dagaga Jirenya in Chamuk, Moyale

2004 47 (M/F) RREAD 25000 Birr Individual on small loans basis

none 10 savings

Strong only savings scheme

Ibsa Gemechu in Mado, Moyale

2006 CPO 50 (F) ELSE 15000 Birr Communal farming

Hay making, Hides and skin, Business management, Loan and savings, Cross-visits, R and R of committee Family planning


Sufficient A Kebele model group

Karso Kaliti in Mado, Moyale

2006 CPO 46 (F) ELSE 15000 Birr Hides/skins farming

weak

Abdi Bori in Mado, Moyale

2005 37 (F/M) RREAD 25000 Birr Loan services Renting out grazing land

Group organization Health and sanitation

10/5 savings 5% interest

sufficient

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Appendix 3 General sample statistics for CARE supported WIGGs and control WIGGs

CARE supported WIGGs Control WIGGs

Sample size n=56 n=61

Group names Jireena Dikale Bultuma Mude Hormata Derara Negeya Degaga‐Jirenya Ibsa‐Gemechu Qarso‐Qaliti Abdi‐Bori

Badhadha DikaleMirga Dubertota Lemlem Darartu Qobo Jireyna Kayo Rako Fageysu Qalicha Qarso Urji Waldhageyti

Average age 33,1 (min: 15, max: 56) 35,8 (min: 15, max: 80)

Years of average membership

3,9 (min: 1, max: 6) 3,7 (min: 0.5, max: 10)

Position in WIGG Member: 30 (54%) Committee member: 26 (46%)

Member: 34 (56%) Committee member: 27 (44%)

Family size 7,0 (min: 2, max: 28) 6,8 (min: 2, max: 20)

People below 16 of age 3,5 (min: 0, max: 7) 3,4 (min: 0, max: 13)

People 17 and older 3,5 (min: 1, max: 23) 3,4 (min: 1, max: 10)

Female headed households

7 (13%) 6 (10%)

Members who took a loan

38 (68%) 46 (75%)

Average loan taken by borrower over the past 24 months

1093.4 (min: 50, max: 4000) 791.7 (min: 50, max: 6200)

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Appendix 4 Photos

Above: Borana, Yabello district, in May 2009

Above: Borana, Yabello district, WIGG: Kayo Hara ‐ pretesting PRA techniques

Above: WIGG Kayo Hara, Yabello (left) and WIGG: Ibsa Gemechu, Moyale (right)

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Above: WIGG Nagayo, Magado, Dire (left) and WIGG: Kayo Hara, Yabello (right)

Above: Examples of documentation of group discussions elaborating WIGG time‐lines

Above: Group members explain WIGG record keeping

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Above: WIGG record keeping

Above: Women from the Nagayo WIGG in Magado show two water cisterns build in the vicinity of the village

Above: Landscape in Dire around the village of the Nagayo WIGG (left) and crop farming in Moyale district (right)

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Appendix 5

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