Income Savings and Lending (ISAL)
The ISAL methodology is the backbone of economic strengthening. The overall aim for economic strengthening activities is to enhance capacity of vulnerable households to sustainably care for the children and increase household resilience to meet basic needs. Targeted OVC in the respective districts come from households that barely meet the minimum requirements for each component as stated in the ZimVAC report. (2010).
JHWO shall intensify efforts working to strengthen the capacity of a minimum of caregivers whose children are receiving school fees payment and assist them with small grant revolving loan fund to sustain income generating activities in their locality to meet household consumption needs.
To strengthen knowledge sharing and effective monitoring, Community Based Trainers in all JHWO districts will be identified and trained on ISALS and all other aspects of Economic Strengthening to support the ISAL groups. The approach is in line with the government policy on economic rebound through the ZimAsset blue print (quick wins to be implemented within the Food Security and Nutrition Cluster, chapter 7.1.2 page 57-60).
The primary objective of the ISAL intervention in schools is to ultimately have a high percentage of primary caregivers with improved assets, income and food security leading to households with economic resilience.
Asset Building Groups (ABGs)
The objective of the ABG is to boost the caregivers’ resilience to poverty and shocks in the event of a project coming to an end. The whole idea is make sure the identified groups have a more sustainable project that will assist the caregivers to keep on supporting their children well after the ending of the whole project. The ABG assists the caregivers in terms of productive assets.
Income Generating Activities (IGAs)
IGAs economically strengthen the institution/ school to cater for educational assistance and other administrative costs for the OVC sustainably. Target beneficiaries for the school IGAs are the OVC who come from Households in destitution. Trainings in project planning and management/business management in pre award, and post award phase bring in effectiveness in running the school/institution income generating activities.
Offering technical support together with technical government departments ensures project sustainability. M&E of the project performance ensure transparency and in a way remind the school to adhere to the OVC fund objective. IGAs are a milestone of Economic Strengthening as they pave ways for sustainable exit from external support
Nutrition
There is a general consensus that lack of food for children of school going age affects school enrolment, attendance, retention and progression. This is more common in populations that are food insecure, reside in areas of high concentration and are of low socio-economic status.
This in the long run affects enrolment for schools as children will end up dropping out of school. JHWO will work with the following: schools with malnourished children, prisons, artisanal miners and also selected communities where community centres will be established on plots for skills training and setting up of the pass on initiatives for small livestock and seedlings to boost the vulnerable household’s nutrition. (See also nutrition under health)
