Building livelihoods: a field manual for practitioners in humanitarian settings

Although necessary, emergency relief can only fulfil a limited role. For those that are forced to rely on humanitarian assistance for long periods aid must be provided for displaced persons to garner skills, training and economic opportunities in order to establish sustainable livelihoods. As a person uprooted by conflict will remain displaced for an average of 17 years, so new generations will need access to viable processes to become self-reliant and build lives. Such a focus is paramount if families and communities are going to be able to survive – and quite possibly thrive – in the camp environment.

This field manual has been developed in an attempt to provide practitioners with usable information and tools so that they can design and implement effective livelihood programmes. To be 'successful' the authors of this guide assert that such programmes must:

• be based on market demand and contextually appropriate
• build on the existing skills and experience within the target population
• enhance the dignity and options for the displaced.

This extensive manual covers a wide range of topics including:

• working with host governments and public-private Partnerships
• training and placement programmes
• for-work programming: cash-for-work and food-for-work; and building in-camp economies
• supporting agrarian interventions; microfinance Interventions and enterprise development.

And also seeks to introduce humanitarian practitioners to a range of analytical tools:

• situation and conflict analysis
• participatory needs assessments and participatory rural appraisal
• market assessment and value chain analysis
• labour market and organizational capacity assessment
• monitoring and evaluation.