Thinking forward about Livelihoods for Refugees in...

SamuelHall2017©ThinkingforwardaboutLivelihoodsforRefugeesinEthiopia–NRC

ThinkingforwardaboutLivelihoodsforRefugeesinEthiopia:LearningfromNRC’sProgramming

2013-2016

SamuelHall2017©ThinkingforwardaboutLivelihoodsforRefugeesinEthiopia–NRC 2

ThisreporthasbeenproducedbySamuelHall’sMigrationandDisplacementPillar.AttheMigrationandDisplacementPillar,weproduceknowledgeanddataonpopulationmovementsinandoutofcountries of origin, transit and destination. Using quantitative and qualitative, participatoryresearchwithmigrants,refugeesandinternallydisplacedpersons,webuildevidenceontheirsocialenvironment,protection,livelihoods,contributionsandaspirations.Weusethisevidencetodelivertrainingsandcapacitybuildingtoactorsshapingthe livesofmigrants,andtodesignprogrammesandpolicies thatadhere to international frameworks.Ourapproach is inductiveandcontextuallyrelevant.Weareknownforourexpertiseandseekresearcherswithexpertisein:

Migration Displacement

MigrationanddevelopmentIrregularmigration

SmugglingMigration-employmentnexusLabourmigrationandmobility

Policydevelopment

InternalDisplacementForcedmigration

TraffickingReturnandreintegration,includingpost-returnoutcomes,voluntaryandinvoluntaryreturns

Durablesolutions

AboutSamuelHall.Samuel Hall is an independent think tank providing research and strategicservices,expertanalysis, tailoredcounselandaccess to localknowledge foradiversearrayofactorsoperatingintheworld’smostchallengingenvironments.Wespecialiseinmigrationresearch,economicandsocialassessments,strategyandpolicydesignandmonitoringandevaluationsacrossCentral&SouthAsia,East&SouthernAfrica,WestAfrica,andEurope.Overthelastsevenyears,wehavedevelopedanimpressiveportfolioofclients,whichincludesUNagencies(UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, etc.), international NGOs (AKF, NRC, DRC,Oxfam, etc.), donors (DFID, EU, AFD, JICA, GIZ, etc.) and internationalorganisationssuchasIOMandtheWorldBank.

This publication was commissioned by NRC Ethiopia. It was prepared and conducted by Samuel Hall. The views and analysis contained in the publication therefore do not necessarily represent the views of NRC. Any errors are our own and should not tarnish the reputations of others.

This report should be cited using the following referencing style:

Samuel Hall (2016). Thinking forward about Livelihoods for Refugees in Ethiopia – Learning from NRC’s programming 2013 - 2016, commissioned by NRC Ethiopia.


EXECUTIVESUMMARYNRC’sevolvingprogrammeinEthiopia2013-2016

This research finds theNorwegianRefugeeCouncil (NRC) in Ethiopia tobe forward thinking as astrategic player in the livelihoods sector and in providing assistance to refugees. Its initial basicserviceresponse–whichwas inhighdemand(duetodrought)whenNRCbeganwork incountryand remains well executed – placed the organisation in a strong position in Ethiopia. From thisfoundation NRC has been able to expand into livelihood programming, both in and outside ofcamps, basedonneeds andasopportunitiespresented themselves.Atpresent, however,NRC islimitedbythelackofacorestrategytodefineitsapproachtolivelihoodsinEthiopia.

NRC’slivelihoodsprogramminghasbeenwellreceivedandsuitedtomeetbeneficiaries’immediateneeds. However, this research reveals amismatch between the livelihood support provided andbeneficiaries’expectations.Moreover,thediscrepancybetweentheresourcesprovided-smallsizeof the cash grants or loans for vocational activities - and the resources required to start-up andmaintainbusinesswasdeemedtohave‘diluted’theimpactoftheprojecttoagreatextent,evenwhenutilizedcorrectly.Inaddition,outsideofinternallylinkedincome-generatingopportunitiesforYEPgraduates,there isahighlevelofunemploymentforparticipant’spost-graduation–negatingthe theoretical linkages between education and livelihoods and threatening NRC’s programmeimpact.

Towardsanintegrated(livelihoods)programmingstrategy

Althoughlivelihoodsprogrammeshavebeendeliveredwell,activitieshavebeenadhocandneedto be formalised tomeet community expectations and donor demands and fit with stakeholderprogramming.Thecountryprogrammeneedstodeterminewherelivelihoodsprogrammingshouldbepositionedinternally.Atagloballevel,NRChasdelinkedlivelihoodsandfoodsecurity;however,at the country level there is a misperception that the two remain joined, creating internal andexternalconfusion.Itiscrucialthattheselinkagesbeclarifiedatthecountrylevel,asNRCwillneedtoensureitslinkagestokeypartnerswhodonotdefinelivelihoodsintermsoffoodsecurity.NRCEthiopiahasalreadyimplementedadhoclivelihoodseducation(YEP),shelter,WASHprogrammingand is already seeing a demand from partners for further livelihood-specific programming.Therefore, without a clear position/strategy, NRC will run the risk of internal disconnects andmissed opportunities. As a result, NRC needs an integrated programming framework thatencompasses livelihoods–ratherthanaimingforasustainablelivelihoodsstrategy–tofittothecontextandtofacilitatebothinternalandexternalcoordination.

Thisreportprovidesactionable–short,mediumandlong-term-recommendationsinthisregard,withaspecificfocusonyouth.Acrosstheboard,NRChasemphasisedtheimportanceofsupportingyouth and children, a significant demographic group both in importance and in sheer volume.Furthermore,NRC’s reconceptualisingof refugeeeducation, in linewithsuchpartnersasUNHCR,demonstratestheorganisation’sachievementinensuringprogrammaticfocusisplacedonhumanrights to achievedurable solutions and avoid prolongedhumanitarian endeavours. The followingprovidesasummaryofkeyrecommendationsoutlinedinthedocument.


1. LONGTERM.Buildingaresilienceagendaalignedwithadurablesolutionsagenda

Localeconomicintegrationstrategies–albeitinformalinnature–remainunexplored

TheresearchshowsthatinformallocaleconomicintegrationishappeningatthefieldlevelwithoutinclusioninNRC’sprogrammingdesign.Refugeesandhostcommunitymembersworktogethertomaximisetheirincomegeneratingpotential.Forexample,hostcommunitybeneficiaries(whoknowthe refugees from vocational training programmes) work with their refugee peers to help thempurchaseorsellgoodsonthemarketaswellastoprocurelocalhostcommunitiescontracts.NRChas seen its graduates working together across the refugee/host dichotomy. Host communitycontractorswilloftentakeabidandtheninformallyemployrefugees.SuchexamplesaboundinthecontextofShireandDolloAdo.

Aprioritywillbeforbusinessskills trainingstobe linkedtoandalignedwith informal integrationstrategiestocreatedurablesolutions.Theprimaryfocuscannotbeonrepatriation.Toinformsuchastrategy,activitiesmayincludesupportto:

• Financing:increasingaccesstobanksandlocalfinancialinstitutions• Refugee cooperatives: closing the loophole and linking refugees to local financial

institutions• Self-helpgroups:composinggroupsofhost/refugeegraduates.Hostcommunitymembers

can procure local contracts, and refugees can access business opportunities through thehostcommunity.

Durable solutions.While it is commendable that NRC asks beneficiarieswhat skills would be ofmost use in their country of return or in onwards movements, this needs to be done moresystematically. It should integrate both objective and subjective measures, especially whenconsideringthevaluebeneficiariesplaceoncertificates.

• Regionally, thereisaclearspaceforNRCtomaximiseitspresence.ItremainsoneofthefewactorspresentinthecountriesborderingEthiopia–Eritrea,Somalia,andKenya–andhencethisisakeystrengthtobuildonforregionalprogramming.

• Nationally, NRC can have a more targeted approach and conduct 1) a comprehensivemarket survey in its areas of implementation and 2) research on local entry points forcross-border programming, drawing on its regional presence to better understand theneedsandensuretheyarenotduplicatingeffortsofactorsinareasofreturn.

• Locally, undertaking area-level government engagement for refugee access to localfinancialinstitutionsthroughthecooperativeloophole.

2. MEDIUMTERM:StandardisingM&EframeworksacrossdonorsandprojectstosupportaLearningAgenda

Inthemediumterm,andaspartofabroaderlearningagenda,missingmonitoringandevaluationcomponentswillneedtobeaddressedinthreeways:first,throughNRC’sownM&Eframeworkandindicators (someofwhichareproposed in this study); second, through informationmanagementsystemsstandardizedbetweenpartners;and third, throughgreatercoordination.Learninghas tobe,inthiscontext,endorsedandupheldbyallpartnersinacollaborativemanner.NRCcannotonitsowndesigneffectivelivelihoodstrategiesif it isnotalignedwithlessonslearned.Thisresearch


provides recommendations as to key indicators to integrate in different steps of resilienceprogrammingtoensurethismaybeachieved.

3. SHORTTERM.Strengtheninglocalownershipandengagement

How can NRC link its achievements with targetedmessaging to external partners, including thegovernment?Intheurbancontext,itisacknowledgedthatthecurrentprogrammewilllikelynotbesuccessful without increased coordination and policy shifts. As such, NRC is reframing its urbanprogramming to includea largergovernmentengagementelement.Donors seekanemphasisonreducedsecondaryirregularmigration–harnessingthesupportofdonorsinadvocacyforincreasedlivelihoods opportunities for refugees is thus clear. NRC needs to understand how education iscontributing to solutions. NRCmust conduct follow-up studies to understandmarket needs andincomegeneratinglinkagesaswellasbeneficiaryintentionspost-graduation.

Improvingitsyouthbasedprogrammingwillentail,inpart,understandingthatyouthprogrammingrequiresamoreholisticapproachthaneducation,vocationaltrainingandastart-upkitorcapital.As voiced by a community leader in Dollo Ado, youth gaps go beyond the economy tounderstanding the social andpsychosocialneedsof youth. ‘Theyneeda youth centre, aplace tospendtime–notonlyvocationalcentres,butplayinggrounds’(CommunityleaderDolloAdo).Theyalso need capital for livelihoods – their own stated priority. However, for the impact to besustainable,abroaderwell-beingapproachisrequired.

Thatiswhyindividualinterventionsalongsidecommunityinvolvementmatter.Itisimportantforyouthtobepartofacollectiveandnotonhisorherownasdecisionmakers.

TenRecommendationsforaLearningAgendaAroundRefugeeLivelihoods

Longterm

ARESILIENCEAGENDA

1.Thinkingofresilience:Beyondsustainablelivelihoods

2.Humanitarian-developmentcontiguumapproach

3.Aligningresiliencewithdurablesolutions

Mediumterm

ALEARNINGAGENDA

4.Monitoringandevaluation:standardisingframeworks

5.Sharinglessonslearned

6.Coordinatinginformationsystems

Shortterm

A COORDINATIONAGENDA

7.Governmentcooperationoncommunity-basedinterventions

8.ExpandLWGandlinkwithfoodsecurity

9.Increasehostcommunityinvolvement

10.Increaseyouth-basedprogrammingandagraduationprogramtohighlightstepstowardslivelihoodsforyoungrefugees


TABLEOFCONTENTS

EXECUTIVESUMMARY...........................................................................................3

I.FRAMINGTHEPROJECT.......................................................................................7

II.CONTEXTUALREVIEW......................................................................................12

III.GENERALFINDINGS.........................................................................................15

ANNEX1:METHODOLOGY...................................................................................48

ACRONYMSARRA AdministrationforRefugeeandReturneeAffairsBRCiS BuildingResilientCommunitiesinSomaliaCOC CertificateofCompetencyCIG CommonInterestGroupFGD FocusGroupDiscussionDFID DepartmentforInternationalDevelopmentECHO EuropeanCivilProtectionandHumanitarianAidOperationsHRF HumanitarianResponseFundIOM InternationalOrganizationforMigrationIGAs IncomeGeneratingActivitiesIRC InternationalRescueCommitteeJRS JesuitRefugeeServiceKII KeyInformantInterviewLWGMLRF

LivelihoodsWorkingGroupMicro-LoanRevolvingFund

NMFA NorwegianMinistryofForeignAffairsNRC NorwegianRefugeeCouncilOCPOICE

Out-of-CampPolicyOpportunitiesIndustrializationCentreEthiopia

PRM BureauofPopulation,Refugees,andMigrationRA RegionalAuthorityRBARCC

Rights-BasedApproachRefugeeCommunityCommittee

SIDA SwedishInternationalDevelopmentCooperationAgencySHG Self-HelpGroupSWOT Strength,Weakness,OpportunityandThreatTWG TechnicalWorkingGroupTVET TechnicalandVocationalEducationandTrainingUNHCR UnitedNationsHighCommissionerforRefugeesVfM ValueforMoneyWFP WorldFoodProgrammeYEP

YouthEducation


I.FRAMINGTHEPROJECTBackgroundEthiopia ratified theUnitedNation’s 1951RefugeeConventionwith the caveat that the rightsofrefugees–suchastherighttowork–weretobeconsidered‘onlyasrecommendationsandnotaslegallybindingobligations’.1In2004,Proclamation409/2004furtherstatedthatrefugeeswouldbesubjecttothenational laws in force inEthiopia (Article21.1and22.2). Inregardtoemployment,‘refugees are entitled to the same rights and subjected to the same restrictions as conferred orimposedbytherelevantlawsonforeignersinEthiopia’(Article21.3).Asaresult,thesituationforrefugees in Ethiopia ismainly one of encampment,with no access towork (beyond incentivizedlabour) and very limited and predictable livelihood opportunities. Outside of the camp settings,Eritreans can legally reside either as urban refugees or as part of theOut-of-CampPolicy (OCP),detailedinthe2014SamuelHallreport.2

Partners inEthiopiahaveagreedthatananalysisofthelegalframeworkmayleadtoentrypointsforgovernmentengagementandtailoredprogramming.ThisrapidassessmentofNRC’slivelihoodactivitiesdiscusseswhatlivelihoodinterventionsforrefugeesinEthiopiamaybepossiblegiventhecontextof:

1. Increaseddonorandgovernmentattentionon irregularmigration inEthiopia.This isanopportunity to negotiate greater access to livelihood programmes and longer-terminitiativesbeyonddistributionandvocationaltraining.TheAdministrationforRefugeeandReturnee Affairs (ARRA), in an interview in Shire in September 2016, mentioned to theresearchteamthattherearerefugeesstartingbusinessesundertheOCPscheme,butthatthere is no implementing partner focused on supporting them through tailored urbanprogramming.

2. Greatersocialcohesionbetweenrefugeesandhosts.‘Wedonotseeanyofthehostilitiesthatyouseebetweendifferentcommunitygroups’,accordingtoarepresentativeofARRAinShire.Toleranceandacceptance shouldbebuilton fora strong foundation for furtherlivelihoodandresilienceprogrammingthattakesacommunityperspective.

3. Existing food security initiatives and financing mechanisms around loans. These canfunctionasameanstotargetlivelihoodsthroughcooperativesandassociations.UndertheOCP,Eritreanrefugeesmayaccessinformalbusinessopportunities.Thenon-formalservicecooperativeumbrellaiscomposedofdifferentself-helpgroups.Allloansareoverseenbyaloan committee composedofARRA, theRefugeeCommunity Committee (RCC),NRC, theUnitedNationsHighCommissioner forRefugees (UNHCR), andother stakeholders. Thesegroups access micro-finance institutions through ARRA’s written endorsement. Whilerefugeesarenotabletoaccessthesesystemsontheirown,apathwayisopenandcanbescaled andmodified. For instance, these accounts are for savings, not withdrawal. Theyearninterestandpayabankchargebutnotaxisrequired.

1UNHCR(2016)ExploringfurtherpossibilitiesforrefugeestoworkinEthiopia.ProtectionWorkingGroup.05July2016.2Samuel Hall (2014) Living Out of Camp: Alternatives to camp-based assistance for Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia,commissionedbytheNorwegianRefugeeCouncil,Ethiopia.


Similar projects are runningwith NRC in Shire, ZOA and International Humanitarian Solutions inHitsatsandShamelba,asaresultofdirectengagementwiththelocalgovernmentandtheeffortsoftheLivelihoodsTechnicalWorkingGroup(TWG).TheNorwegianRefugeeCouncilinEthiopia

AreviewoftheNorwegianRefugeeCouncil(NRC)programmingdocumentsinEthiopiasuggestsacontinually evolving focus and scopeof operation,with anemphasis on integratedprogrammingandcollaboration.NRCestablishedoperations in2011 toprovideassistanceand support tobothSomalirefugees(inDolloAdo)andEritreanrefugees(inShire).Sincethattime,NRChasexpandedtoworkinallmajorrefugeecampswithinEthiopia,therebysupportingSudanese,SouthSudanese,Eritrean and Somali refugees alongwith vulnerable host communities. In late 2014, NRC furtherexpandedtoincludeprogrammingtargetedtowardsurbanrefugeesinAddisAbabaandinternallydisplaced persons (IDPs) in the Somali region. In addition to Addis Ababa, NRC in Ethiopia ispresentlyoperatinginfivefieldlocations:DolloAdo,Jijiga,Assosa,ShireandGambella.

Originally, the scope of NRC’s programming in Ethiopia was predominately humanitarian, asevidencedbyNRC’s inceptionprojectofa large-scale shelter intervention inDolloAdo.FromtheinitiallaunchofNRCactivities,therehasbeensignificantinvestmentinshelterandWASH,withthenotableadditionofeducationactivitiesin2013.TheevolutionofNRCprogramming,inlinewiththeregional context and with partners such as UNHCR, has since 2014 moved towards a higheremphasisonrecovery,development,andresiliencetoavoidprolongedhumanitarianendeavours.Projectswereexpandedintolivelihoodandfoodsecurityprogramming,whilestillmaintainingandimprovingtheWASH,shelterandeducationcomponents.

RefugeesinEthiopiaremaininaprotractedcrisiswithlimitedprospectsfordurablesolutions.Thisisfurtherexacerbatedbythecountriescontinuedfoodinsecurity,3populationstrainandincreasingrefugeemovements.Thisisfurtherexacerbatedbykeystructuralweaknessesofthelabourmarket,which prevent refugees and migrants from accessing employment due to a wide skills gap andrestrictions on formal economic participation. In Ethiopia, this places further pressures on theimplementationofdurableandsustainableinterventions.

In this setting, NRC and other partners are making important progress to address the needs ofrefugeesandhostcommunities.However,thereisroomforimprovement,andNRCis inauniqueposition to lead future programming endeavours. As no one programme can meet all of thephysical, psychological and livelihood needs of vulnerable communities, a holistic, integratedapproachmustbeexploredtomaximiseimpactandmitigatemissedopportunities.

In this light,NRChascommissionedthepresentstudytoexamine itscore livelihoodsactivities intwo primary areas in Dollo Ado; Kobe, Hiloweyn and Shire; Mai Tseberi and Hitsats. Theprogrammesreviewedinclude:

• Foodsecurityand irrigation:TheoverallobjectiveoftheirrigationinitiativeistoimproveresilienceandpromoteadurablesolutionslandscapeforhostcommunitiesandrefugeesinDolloAdo.Todoso,NRChasprovidedskillsincommercialagriculturalproductionandhas

3BiraraEndalew,MequanentMuche,andSamuelTadesse,“AssessmentofFoodSecuritySituationinEthiopia:AReview,”AsianJournalofAgriculturalResearch9,no.2(February1,2015):55–68,doi:10.3923/ajar.2015.55.68;WFP,“ClimateRiskandFoodSecurityinEthiopia:AnalysisofClimateImpactsonFoodSecurityandLivelihoods,”n.d.


contributed to household food security improvements by promoting agriculturalproductionandincomegeneration.

• YouthEducationPack(YEP)andVocationalTraining:InShireandDolloAdo,YEPprojectscombine basic literacy/numeracy skills, life skills and practical vocational training tofacilitate livelihoods. The vocational skill emphasis varies across programme locations,taking into consideration market assessments of the demand for various skills and theparticular interests of the target beneficiaries. Examples of skills offered includeconstruction, plumbing, hairdressing, electronics, furniture building, hotel management,foodpreparationandtailoring.

• Micro-loanrevolvingfunds(MLRF): InShire,theprojectisdesignedtoempowerrefugeesand vulnerable members of the host community members, including YEP graduates,through the provision of entrepreneurship training, tools kits and loans to expandbeneficiaries’businessopportunities.

Objectivesofthisassessment

ThisstudywascommissionedbyNRCEthiopiatodocumentlessonslearnedaswellastoprovideastrategicframeworkto informNRC’spositioningonintegratedprogramming. ItexaminestheroleofNRCintheprovisionofrefugeelivelihoodsandeducation.Itisnotmeanttodocumentnortakeintoaccountbasicservices.Theobjectivesofthisstudyareto:

1. Identify key strengths, weaknesses and opportunities to bring together programmingopportunitiesinrelationtoeducation,livelihoods,resilienceandmigration.

2. Build a strategic framework for NRC to position itself in terms of scalable programs onrefugee livelihoods, taking into consideration donor interests/strategies and potentialprogrammesynergies.

This study does not purport to produce a technical programmatic evaluation or appraisal of theproject.Rather, the researchhasbeenguidedby the following researchquestionsandshouldbereadalongsideNRCprojectdocuments.

Table1-ResearchquestionsMainResearchQuestions

1 HowisNRCEthiopiacontributingtosustainableandincreasedlivelihoodsforrefugees?

2 Whatconcreteprogrammaticandcoordinationopportunitiesexist?

3 How can NRC link its achievements to targeted messaging for key stakeholders; government anddonors?

Researchwasconducted inShireandDolloAdo includingcamps (MaiTseberi,Hitsats,Kobe,andHilowayn) in July - August 2016. The research is further based on an urban setting snapshot inAddis. The research locations were chosen to represent a sample from NRC’s areas ofimplementation throughout Ethiopia. Local enumerators collected data using tools designed bySamuelHalltodeterminethepositioningandrelevanceofNRC’sprogramming.


Methodology

A participatory research framework was designed, employing qualitative research methods inAddis,ShireandDolloAdo.Focusgroupdiscussions(9FGDswith63respondents),key informantinterviews (30) and in-depth case studies (5)were gathered in amanner to reflect the voices ofpeopleengagedatdifferentlevelsandindifferentphasesofNRC’simplementation.

In-depth studies in ShireandDolloAdowere conductedusinga standardizedapproachaimedatcomparing,contrastingandrefiningtheanalysis.Theseincludedthefiveelementsbelow:

• Directobservationchecklist• Focusgroupdiscussions(FGDs)• Key informant interviews (KIIs) with

partners, government and communityleaders

• Individualcasestudies• Field journalsbuiltaroundthekey research

questions/subquestions

Table2-Fieldworkbreakdown

Addis Shire DolloAdo TOTAL

KeyInformationInterviews 18 8 3 29

FGDs - 5 4 63

CaseStudies 1 2 2 5

Total 97

The focus in this methodology is on speaking with refugees and host communities alike –collectively making up 67 out of our 97 respondents. It followed a participatory approach builtfrom the community up to the organisations mandated to assist them. The team spoke torepresentatives of partner organisations and to NRC to better frame our analysis andrecommendations.Inordertofullydetailandreviewthesignificance,sustainabilityandimpactofNRC’sprogramminginEthiopia,theresearchfocusedonthefollowingtargetgroups:

• Male and female programme beneficiaries: YEP graduates, microloan and direct cashbeneficiaries,currenteducation/vocationaltrainingstudentsandfoodsecuritybeneficiaries

• Maleand femalenon-beneficiaries: Includinghostandrefugeecommunitymembersrangingfrom15-35yearsofagewithinthecatchmentareaofNRCprogrammes

• RefugeeCommunityCommittees:Maleandfemalerefugeerepresentativeselectedasleaders• Localauthoritiesandcommunityleaders:Leadersfromwithinthehostcommunity• Businesscommunitymembersandleaders:Includingmaleandfemalebusinessleadersdrawn

fromwithintherefugeeandhostcommunity.


Two teamswere used to conduct fieldwork at each location, with each team comprised of onemoderatorandonenotetaker.Wherepossible,amixedgenderteamwasrecruitedtoconducttheassessment. All teamswere supported by Samuel Hall’s field coordinator aswell asNRC to gainaccesstothetargetgroups.

FieldworkApproach

WithguidancefromNRCstaffanditsownteam,SamuelHallidentifiedrespondentsineachofthefollowing four locations of relevance to NRC programming: Dollo Ado (Kobe and Hilowayn) andShire(MaiTseberi,Hitsats).Theteamgainedabetterunderstandingof(1)howstakeholdersdefineand view livelihoods, (2) the links and relationships between core competency componentsincluding durable solutions and resilience and (3) the local relationships between shocks, copingmechanisms,andstabilityintheareaswhererefugeesliveandwork.Figure1providesgeographicreferenceforeachlocationwithinthewidercontextofEthiopia.

Figure1:LocationofNRC’sprogramminginEthiopia


II.CONTEXTUALREVIEWIninterviewsconductedforthisstudy,UNHCRcommendedthe‘courage’ofNRCtobeinvolvedinurbanlivelihoods,especiallygiventhestructuralconstraintsinEthiopia.UNHCRconsidereditisanimportantactivitytoattemptinspiteofthelackofpossibilities,andUNHCRemphasisedthatonecould not truly speak of ‘sustainable livelihoods’ for refugees in the current policy environment.Thisprefacehighlightsthethreeanglesofthisstudy:NRC’srole,supportofrefugeelivelihoods,andthecontextofEthiopia.

1.ThecontextinEthiopia

Ethiopia is testing alternatives to camps in restricted settings. This provides an important casestudyofagovernmentexploringoutofcampsolutions,atleastforonegroup(Eritreanrefugees–specificallyyouth)throughtheOut-of-Camppolicy(OCP).Gainsfromthisinitiativeseemtimidanduncertain, but stakeholders agree for the need to revive efforts around the OCP.4In addition,stakeholders –with the government – have been active in setting up a coordination forum thatprovides hope for future livelihood interventions. The Livelihoods Working Group (LWG) bringstogetherall livelihood-implementingpartners,UNHCRandARRAandprovidesaplatform for thisstudy’s recommendations. The LWG in Shire is chaired byNRCwith responsibilities covering theestablishment of a common livelihoods strategy, optimization of livelihood interventions andcoordinationandinformationsharing.5

2.NRCinEthiopia…andintheregion

NRC has moved to position itself as a strategic player in livelihoods in Ethiopia with a strongfoothold in Shire. Its initial basic service response – which was both highly in demand due todroughtwhenNRCbeganworkincountryandwell-executed–setthemupinastrongpositioninEthiopia, despite being a new actor. From this solid foundation NRC has been able expand intolivelihood programming both in and outside of camps based on the needs and opportunitiespresented.Atpresent,however,NRCislimitedbythelackofacorestrategytodefineitsapproachtolivelihoodsinEthiopia.AkeyaddedvalueandassetofNRCEthiopiaremainsitsregionalroleineducation and resilience, two aspects to be tapped into to reinforce its livelihood approach inEthiopia. For resilience, this study focusesonUngar’sdefinition: ‘Both the capacityof individualstonavigatetheir way to the psychological, social, cultural, and physicalresourcesthat sustaintheirwellbeing,andtheircapacity,individuallyandcollectively,tonegotiatefortheseresourcestobeprovidedandexperiencedinculturallymeaningfulways’.6

3.ThreatstoNRC’sProgramming

NRCisproudofits‘uniqueness’intargetinglivelihoodsforurbanrefugeesinAddis,‘givingthemameans to sustain livelihoods’. However, the many limitations make the actual impact of thisprogramme on livelihoods questionable. Themotivation for the continualwork on a ‘livelihoods

4ReDSS/SamuelHall(2016),ReviewofDurableSolutionsInitiativesintheEastandHornofAfrica5LivelihoodWorkingGroup(LWG)–DraftTermsofReference(TOR),Shire.6Ungar2008.ResilienceinAction.TorontoUniversityPress.p.225


programme’, despite acknowledgment of its inability to have an impact on livelihoods, shows atensiontobeaddressed. Thisprogrammefacesmanythreats–therefore,howcan itengageforchangesinthepolicylevel(wheremanythreatscomefrom);andhowcanit,intheinterim,operatein the present context in a livelihoods capacity, especially in light of the likelihood of the OCPprogrammeexpanding?

Threethreatsaretobeunderlinedinthiscontext:

- Nolinktodurablesolutionsandmigration- Misalignmentwithbeneficiaryexpectationsandimmediateneeds- (Dis-)IntegratedProgramming

Thesearethekeynodesoftheproblemtosolve.

MacroThreat1.Absent linkwithdurable solutions: Inparticular,the lackofaclearobjective inregards todurablesolutionsoutcomes - local integration, reducedsecondarymovements,and/orrepatriation-maybeakeythreattoNRC’sabilitytomeasureitsimpact.AcrosstheboardNRChasemphasisedtheimportanceofsupportingyouthandchildren,asignificantdemographicgroupbothinimportanceandinsheervolume.Furthermore,NRC’sreconceptualisingofrefugeeeducation,inline with such partners as UNHCR, demonstrates the organisation’s achievement in ensuringprogrammatic focus is placedonhuman rights to achievedurable solutions andavoidprolongedhumanitarianendeavours.

Macro Threat 2. Misalignment of beneficiary expectations and needs: This research reveals amisalignment between the support provided and beneficiaries’ expectations. The discrepancybetween the low amount of the cash grants or loans for vocational activities and beneficiaries’actualneedstostartbusinessesweredeemedtohave‘diluted’theimpactoftheprojecttoagreatextent, even when utilized correctly. This was further exacerbated in the urban context wherebeneficiaries’ immediate needs dictated financial investment towards basic services and notbusinessinputs.

MacroThreat3.(Dis-)IntegratedProgramming– inneedofanIntegratedProgramming:howtocreate cohesion internally?Outside of internally linked income-generating opportunities for YEPgraduates, there isahigh levelofunemploymentforparticipant’spost-graduation–negatingthetheoretical linkages between education and livelihoods and directly threatening the impact ofNRC’sprogramming.

EvaluationFramework

TofindareasforopportunityforNRCandpartnersinEthiopia,thisassessmentusedsevencriteriato test the scalability of NRC programming in Ethiopia. These criteria are presented in the tablebelowandreviewedwithtwocasestudies–DolloAdoandShire–inchapter3ofthisreport.

ScalabilitycriteriaMainresearchQuestionsaddressedper-criteria


RelevanceWhatprogresshasbeenmadetowardstheimplementationofdurablesolutionsandaddressingthesustainabilityoflivelihoodsinterventions?Wheretheinterventionstimelyanddidtheyaddresstheneedsofthebeneficiaries?

11.2

Feasibility

Howcomplexistheintegratedprogrammingsought?Wasthemodeofdeliveryadaptedtomeettheneedsofthepopulation?WhatweretheimpactsoftheprogrammesontheNRC’soverallobjectives?Whateconomicimpactdidtheprogramminghaveonthewidercommunity?

22.1

Urgencyofneed Whatisthelevelofneeds?Aretherekeypracticesappropriateforreplication?

2.2,3,3.2

EthicalAcceptability

Dotheinterventionsaccuratelytargetapopulation?Didtheprogrammingsuccessfullyenhancecommunityengagementandimprovesocialcohesion?

1.2

Avoidance ofduplication

Aretheresimilarinterventionson-goinginNRC’sareaofimplementation?Whatcoordinationmechanismsareinplaceatthenationalandregionalleveltoaddressissuesofduplication?

3.1

PoliticalAcceptability

WhatpoliciesareinplacetosupportorhinderNRC’sprogramming?Isthereawillingnessonthepartofkeystakeholderstosupportsustainablelivelihoodsinterventions?

1.1,4,4.1

Application ofrecommendations

Arethereadequateresourcestoundertakeintegratedprogramming?Whatisthelikelihoodtheprogrammingwillbeapplicable?Arethereavailableinternalresourcesforscaling?

4,4.2

Eachquestionisscaledonafive-pointvaluefromlow(1)tohigh(5),givingagradepercriteriaandthenanoverallgradeandfinalscorefortheprogramme.Thismethodallowsonetoseethe:

• Microlevel(whichquestionstofocuson),• Mesolevel(whichcriteriatofocuson),and• Macrolevel(whethertheprogrammehasthepotentialtobescaledandwhetherfurther

investmentcouldimprovetheimplementationandsustainabilityoftheprogramme).


III.GENERALFINDINGSWhen asked to define ‘livelihoods’, beneficiaries insisted on two key features of livelihoods,describedbelowusingtheirownwords:

1. SkillsTrainingandEducation–‘important’,‘critical’and‘essential’meanstoimprovetheirfuture

2. Capitalforbusinessstart-up–themostsoughtaftermeansoflivelihoodssupport

NRChas,inpractice,addedtwoaspectstothisdefinition:

1. Foodsecurity–theMicro-LoanRevolvingFunds(MRLF)traininginpoultryproductionandirrigationincorporatesimprovednutritionalstatus

2. Buildingcapacitiesandownership–thefocusontheYouthEducationPackage(YEP)andcertification as a means to improve collaboration/coordination with other stakeholderswhilebuildingtheindividualcapacityofitsyouthgraduates

Thewordcloudobtainedfromourfieldteams’journalsrevealsafocusonrefugee-hostlivelihoodsin amore balancedmanner than theway project documents have been built so far,with equalweight on refugees and hosts and amore local, integrated approach between populations. Thesecondlayerofanalysisthenshowstheneedtolookinto‘strategyandimpact’foraprogrammingthat is ‘local, community’ focused, ‘built around food security’ andhasgreater coordination. Thethirdlayer,notshownhere,thendelvesintothefocusonyouthanddurablesolutions.Thesearethethreelayersthisresearchwilladdressaskeyfindings.


Bringing these three components together then creates a strategic Resilience framework builtaroundalearningagenda,ofwhichthisassessmentisonepart:

◦ WhatNRCknowshasworked◦ WhatNRCknowshasnotworked◦ Whatremainstobefurthertested–andlearnedfrominacontinuous,coordinated

process.‘Sustainable livelihoods’ isnota termthatNRCcancontinueworkingwitheasily in this context.Detachedfromreality,thetruesustainabilityoflivelihoodsforrefugeesintheEthiopiancontextisquestionedbymanyofourkeyinformants.Asaresult,itwouldbepreferabletoseelivelihoodsaspartofabiggerstrategy,ratherthanastrategyinandofitself.Livelihoodscanbeonecomponentofabiggerframework.Whatcouldthisstrategicframeworkthenlooklike?

AkeypotentialofprogramminginEthiopiaistobuildtheresilienceofrefugeesandhostsalike:thistakes on both an individual lens (the definition of resilience we use from Ungar7speaks aboutbuilding individualcapacity tonegotiate resourcesandtheir future)while takingonacommunitylens(buildingthepotentialofcommunitiestoabsorbshocksandtoprovidetheirownresponse).

In effect this is being done disparately and needs to be systematised by NRC in a full-fledgedresilienceapproachtoitsprogramminginEthiopia:

• BuildingtheABSORPTIONcapacitythroughfoodsecurityinitiatives

• BuildingtheADAPTATIONcapacitythroughafocusonIGAsforyouth

• Building the TRANSFORMATION capacity by contributing to durable solutions – and,perhaps more realistically in this restricted setting, on transitional solutions, such asinformallocalintegration,whichisalreadyhappening.

Assuch,therecommendationistomovebeyondasustainablelivelihoodsfocustoplanholisticallyarounda resilience framework. Thiswouldnot be completewithout a learning agenda, ofwhichthisassessmentisonepart.ThislearningagendamustallowsNRCtoknowwhathasworked,whathas not worked, and what remains to be further tested, piloted, learned from in a continuous,coordinatedapproach.

7‘Boththecapacityofindividualstonavigatetheirwaytothepsychological,social,cultural,andphysicalresourcesthatsustaintheirwellbeing,andtheircapacity,individuallyandcollectively,tonegotiatefortheseresourcestobeprovidedandexperiencedinculturallymeaningfulways’.Ungar.M.(2008)ResilienceacrossCultures,BritishJournalofSocialWork,38.

Whatcansustainablelivelihoodsmeaninthiscontext?

1. Acommunity-basedfoodsecurityprogramme(absorption)

2. AnimmediateIGAprogrammewithayouthfocus(adaptation)

3. Adurablesolutionsprogramme(transformation)–evenif,asthisresearchwillshow,itmeansstartingfromtransitionalsolutionsorinformaleconomic integrationinordertobuild opportunities for actual durable solutions,whether return, resettlement or localintegration.


1. Linkwithfoodsecuritytoscaleuplivelihoodsprogramming

The firstpart is then ‘Building theABSORPTIONcapacity through food security initiatives’. This isalreadybeingdoneinsomelimitedcapacity,asrevealedinthisevaluation’sfieldwork.Forexample,communities are satisfied with their involvement in beneficiary selection and localizedprocurement,buttheyarenot includedintheprojectdesignphase,which is leadingtoproblemsdownthelineinachievinglonger-termgoals.

Communitysatisfactionisnotedinimplementationyetnotmaximisedinthedesignstage

Despitebarriersnotedbybeneficiariesinregardstotheimplementationofirrigationprogramming,respondents generally reported a high level of satisfaction in the project implementation. Thisextendedtothewidercommunitywhoreportedtohavebeenengagedinbeneficiaryselectionandlocalisedprocurementofgoods.

Theseengagementsdidnotextendtotheprojectdesignphasewhererespondentsreportedthattheviewsof stakeholders (business leadersandbeneficiaries)werenot sufficiently included.Thisresearch suggests thatmoving forward including stakeholders’ (in particular business communityleaders) inputs into theprojectdesignphasewould getmaximumValue forMoney (VfM) ratherthan decidingwithout their involvementwhat types of projects to provide to communities. Thiswouldfurtherworktosupport longer-termobjectivesandeffortstoensurethattheprogrammesareappropriatetothecontext.Lastly,itmayprovideasolutionforoneofthekeyquestionsonthelinkbetweenfoodsecurityandlivelihoods, i.e.howtogobeyond‘micro’projects–thathelp100householdsatatime–toreachasizeablenumberofthe600,000estimatedpeoplelivingincamps.Workingwiththeregionalgovernment inTigray, for instance, isan importantpartofprogrammedesign,andworkingwithpopulationstodesignprojectswillbepartofasustainableresponse.

Missingevidencebasetoconductprogrammesatthenexusoffoodsecurityandlivelihoods

Key to addressing the food security – livelihoods nexus is to assess themarket situation in andaroundthecampstobetterassess(a)wherecropsharingcouldbethesolution,(b)whereinformalmarkets could be supported and (c) where greater numbers of refugees could contributemanpower to the farmlandsofhostcommunitymembers.Asof2013/14, the influxof theSouthSudaneserefugeesandgreaternumberofrefugeeshasmeantthatthe‘onefoodbasketpermonthforall’willnotbesustainable.Anewmodelisneededfortargetedfooddeliveryassistance,andabroaderfoodsecurity–livelihoodsplanisneeded.

INDICATORStoaddtothemonitoringofNRC’sactivities

How can theABSORPTION capacitybeprioritised? Stronger indicators andobjectivesneed tobebuilt into NRC’s activities. These include the following indicators to be closely measured andmonitored to assesswhen communities are being supported towards resilience andwhere foodsecurityinterventionsdonotcontributetoalonger-termapproach.Indicatorstobemeasuredare:

u Satisfactioninprojectimplementationu Communityengagementinbeneficiaryselectionu Localisedprocurementofgoodsu Inclusionofstakeholderviewsinprojectdesignphaseu Barrierstotheimplementationofirrigationprogramming


2. LinkwithrefugeeyouthtoofferlivelihoodalternativesandIGAs

Therehasbeenpositiveprogresstowardsaddressingimmediateneeds

Themajority of beneficiaries describe the vocational trainings received as essential for enablingaccess to Income Generating Activities (IGAs). However, they did not consider the resourcesprovided–cashandsupplies-sufficientforlivelihoodsstart-up.Asaresult,positiveoutcomesarenoted inaddressing immediateneeds(accesstoskillsandtraining),withhurdlestobeaddressedforlonger-termimpact.

ThelifeskillscomponentofYEPinfluencesrefugees’viewsofirregularmigration

Thequalitativeinterviewsshowthatyouth-basedprogramminghasanimpact–fundamentallyandin youths’ minds – on migration outwards. If youth can find work in Ethiopia, they consider itworthwhile to stay. This has been reported inmultiple qualitative discussionswith youth in thisresearch.However,withoutlinkagestoincomegeneratingactivitiespost-graduation,beneficiariesmay face no other choice than to migrate onwards – even if they no longer want to pursuesecondary migration. Although achieving the latter goal is a long-term process, the programmeapproachanddesignshouldbearitinmindfromthestarttoensureagraduationprogrammethatcantaketheyouthbeyondatrainingand IGAfocus, to fulfilling,stepsona longer-termtimeline.Thisshouldthenbereplicatedinboththeurbanandcampcontext.

Programme recipients remained more optimistic about their future and reported that receivingpost-graduation support – including business and follow-up trainings, cash and tools –would becrucial to creating linkages to IGAs. This is corroborated by stakeholders’ perceptions thatNRC’sprogramming iseffective in the short-term and acts as a stopgap, thought it remainsunable tomeetlong-termgoalstoreachsustainability.

Casestudy:irrigationbuildsalandscapefordurablesolutions

One case study shows the potential of the food security – livelihoods linkage in building theabsorption capacity of communities, thus contributing to stronger communities and moreimpactfulprogramming.

Whilst the underlining concepts of the programme - mutual accountability and communityownership-werefoundtobethecorrectapproach,theabsenceofformalmonitoringsystemsanddocumentationbetween the landowner and farmer greatly diminished the impact of theprogramming.

Thisresultedinnegativepowerdynamicsbetweenthelandownerandthefarmer,anditevenresulted in direct hostilities between community counterparts, rendering the project’s overallobjectivelargelyirrelevant.

Despite this, the community expressed a willingness to be better engaged with NRC andprogramme counterparts. This provides NRC with an interesting opportunity to innovate,potentiallythroughintroducingmonitoringsystemswiththeuseofmobiletechnology.


Asthesecondresilienceframeworklevel isbuildingtheadaptationcapacityofbeneficiaries.HerethefocusofNRConyouth’sIGAisparticularlyimportant,anditisafocusthatnootherstakeholderprovides. This is a unique added value of the NRC programme: linking the community-basedapproachwithofferingrefugeeyouthIGAalternatives.

NRC has adapted its programming well to meet the needs of youth beneficiaries and keystakeholders

Project staff demonstrated a great level of ingenuity in project development, proactivelyrecommending linkages between core competencies and livelihoods to address beneficiariesevolving needs. The Youth Education Packages (YEP) and Micro-Loan Revolving Funds (MLRF)programmes are excellent examples of NRC’s attempts to build synergy between diverseinterventionswithin theirprojectportfolioandexternalpartners.For instance,MLRF’s training inpoultry production and irrigation incorporates the strategic objective of improved nutritionalstatus,providingnutrient-denseproteinandmicronutrientsthrougheggsandproducerespectively.OtherYEPgraduates’vocationalskillsareutilisedtosupport furtherNRC interventions,especiallyshelter construction. Likewise, the older children in NRC’s child protection programme are alsobeneficiaries in the YEP programme. In terms of collaborationwith other stakeholders, NRC hasimplemented theYEPprogrammesalongsideEthiopia’sAdministration forRefugeeandReturneeAffair’s(ARRA)supportinteachertrainingandaccreditationandUNHCR’smonitoring.NRChasalsoworkedwiththeTigrayRegionalStateBureauofTechnicalandVocationalEducationandTraining(TVET) and Agency for the Certificate of Competency (CoC) to provide official certificates forgraduatesofNRCYEPprogrammesinthatregion.Thisprovideslegitimacytotheprogrammethatincreases the prospects and employability of graduates. It also provides possibilities for asustainableexitstrategy,enablingcommunityandgovernmentforcestoeventuallytaketheprojectover. Overall, NRC documents emphasise partnership and coordination with donors and otherimplementing partners to avoid duplication of programming and utilise the expertise of variousorganisationsproperly.

NRChastakencaretoadjustityouthprogrammesinparticularareasbasedonprojectoutcomesandparticularneeds.InShire,forinstance,thereweresignificantnumbersofdropoutsofthelong-term(approximatelyoneyear)YEPprogrammes.Assuch,NRCimplementedshorter-termtrainingoptions in beauty/hair dressing and leather crafting to reach more beneficiaries. Conversely,Eritrean youth refugees in Shire largely have basic literacy skills, so YEPprogrammes therewerecustomisedtofocusoncomputerliteracyasanalternative.NRCalsoincorporatesday-careservicestoencouragetheretentionoffemaleparticipantswithchildren,andtargetsbothhostcommunityandrefugeeyouthinordertosupportintegrationandunderstandingbetweenthegroups.

In education programming, NRC has made endeavours to integrate the programming incollaboration with other actors.A main success of this has been the TVET certification, whichprovides a legitimacy to NRC’s education programming. It further pursues inter-agencycollaboration in education, through support in teacher training and accreditationwith Ethiopia’sAdministrationforRefugeeandReturneeAffair’s(ARRA).

NRChascreatedimpactfullinkagesthroughexternalprogrammesynergies:

This further extends to NRC’s nascent primary school programming (in which they are a uniqueactor),throughwhichtheyaresupportingprimaryeducationforpartnerandgovernmentschools.


Moreover, YEP programming has successfully designed and awarded highly sought aftercertificates. Notably, beneficiaries will contact NRC for a replacement should they lose theiroriginal.AnotherexampleofintegrationisthecollaborationinbuildingaschoolintheShireregion,whereNRCbuiltthefacilityandDRCissupplyingalibrary,latrineandbooks.ThisfurtherextendedtoinnovationonthepartofNRCandcampmanagementtodesignacatalystforrefugeestoaccessformalmarketsystemsthroughtheconstructionofmarketswithinthecamps.

NRChascreatedimpactfullinkagesthroughinternalprogrammesynergies:

Inlocationsassessed,NRCcreated linkages through its internal integrationofprogramming.Forinstance, NRC has employed YEP graduates in shelter construction projects or in poultry cagewelding–an integrationwhichhasbeenpraisedbyARRA.However,outsideofNRC-led income-generatingopportunitiesforYEPgraduates,thereisahighlevelofpost-graduationunemploymentamongparticipants–negating the theoretical linkagesbetweeneducationand livelihoods.As anARRA representative noted, the lack of IGA after graduationmeans YEP is not truly a successfullivelihoodendeavour.Hestated, ‘Askill isnot the finaloutput. IGAsare the finaloutput,andweneed to see it that way. Skills need to be linked to jobs’. Thus, without concrete and adequatelinkages between vocational trainings and income generating activities, NRC is significantlyinhibitedintheactualsuccessofYEPforlivelihoods.

Invariousprojects,NRCpairs interventionswithMicro-LoanRevolving Funds (MLRF) to furtherfacilitate livelihoodopportunitiesandsmallbusinessdevelopment.ThesehavebeendistributedtobeneficiariesorganisedinCommonInterestGroups(CIGs)andSelf-HelpGroups(SHGs),includingYEP graduates in Shire. Some microcredit beneficiaries also receive additional entrepreneurshipinstructionorfocusedtrainingonparticularbusinessskills,suchasbatterysystempoultryrearingand drip irrigation husbandry. Other uses of this loan money include business plans for fruitdistribution,cosmeticshops,restaurants,butcheries,dairyfarmsandmore.TheMLRFprogrammealso shows the strong openness of NRC to beneficiary feedback. Despite this,microloans in theaforementioned regions encountered strong resistance, as loan amounts were considered toosmall,while simultaneously being provided toowidely and under too short a repayment period.Thus,inlightofthisfeedbackandindiscussionwithothershareholders(notablyARRAandUNHCR),NRC adjusted the microloans to be larger loans for smaller groups with a longer repaymentschedule.


u Aspirationsandperceptionsoftheirfutureu Abilitytostart-upalivelihoodspost-trainingu Cashandsupplylevelascomparedtostart-uprequirementsu Vocationalskillsgained/developedu Lifeskillsu Intentionstofurthermigrate


HowcantheADAPTATIONcapacitybemeasuredandprioritised?Keyindicatorsfromthestudyareprovidedhere.Buildingtheseinameasurementframework(M&Eframework)wouldallowNRCtolinkitsyouthlivelihoodsprogrammingtothebroaderresiliencetheoryofchange.

3. Linkwitheconomicinteractionsandintegration:refugeesandhosts

Interventionshaveresultedinimprovedmarketaccessandeconomicinteractions

AnecdotalevidencesuggeststhatNRC’sprogrammesraisedthepurchasingpowerofbeneficiariesatthehouseholdlevel.However,thiswasonlyintheshorttermandonasmallscale,asaccesstorefugee livelihoodsoutsideofthecampsetting isrestricted.Thiswassubstantiatedbyrecipients,whonotedaninabilitytoaccesssustainablelivelihoodspost-graduation.

Irrigationprogrammingrevealedgreatstrides towardscreatinga landscape fordurablesolutions.Whilst the underlining concepts of the programme – mutual accountability and communityownership – were found to be the correct way to approach such programming, the absence offormal monitoring systems and documentation between the land owner and farmer greatlydiminished the impact of the programming. This resulted in negative power dynamics and evendirecthostilitiesbetweencommunitycounterparts,renderingtheproject’soverallobjectivelargelyirrelevant.Despitethis,thecommunityexpressedawillingnesstobebetterengagedwithNRCandprogrammecounterparts,whichprovidesNRCan interestingopportunity to innovate,potentiallythroughintroducingmonitoringsystemswiththeuseofmobiletechnology.

Importantly, albeit unintentionally, the research revealed important progressmade towards thelonger-termgoalsof local integration.For instance, inShire,graduates reportedthe formationofinformalbusinessrelationsbetweenrefugeeandhostcommunitiestooptimizeaccesstobusinessopportunities.These includedhostcommunitymembersprocuring formal localcontractsandthe

Casestudy:buildingconfidence

Respondents unanimously agreed thatNRC’s programming addressed key issues facing youthand positively impacted the youths’ role within the community. Beneficiaries of NRC’sprogrammingwereoftendeemed ‘leaders’, ‘models’,and ‘inspirations’ to theircommunity. InDollo Ado, and to a lesser extent in Shire, youth graduates were also reported to haveconducted mentorship trainings to transfer learned skills to the wider community. Thesementorship initiatives were widely praised and deemed as the next step in self-reliantprogramming.NRCstaffnoted,thatbetter linkagestomentorshipandpeer trainingwouldbeaneffectiveandcostefficientwaytoscalecurrentvocationtrainings.Moreover,themajorityofrecipientscited increasedconfidenceandan improvedability to interactwith theirpeersasaresultofNRC’sprogramming.Thiswascorroboratedbycommunityandbusiness leaders,whocitedareductioninnegativecopingbehavioursonthepartofprogrammerecipients.NRCstaffnoted that better linkages to mentorship and peer training would be an effective and costefficientwaytoscalecurrentvocationtrainings.


facilitation of access to formal markets, while refugees have access to tax free businessopportunitiesinsidethecamps.

Economicrelationshipsbetweenhostsandrefugees

InDolloAdo, business leaders cited the sellingof food itemsand trade tobe themost commonformofeconomic interaction.Communitymembersandlocalauthoritiesreportedthatgraduatesplayed a key role in local economies, offering skills that contributed to market diversity andstrengthenedlocalpurchasingpower.

Businessleadersnotedthat‘Thereareadvantagestohiringstudentlearnersandvocationaltrainingbeneficiaries,astheyaremorequalifiedtoconductthework’.Whenaskedwhatskillsweremostsought after in hiring, the majority of respondents from the business community reported thatgraduateswithbusinesstrainingandnotskillstrainingwereofmostvalue.

IOMinShirenotes,‘SinceNRCentrancetherehavebeengreatimpacts.Wehaveseenanincreaseinbasic services– theyare theshelter leader–andan increase inbusinesses - inparticularwithyouthsettingupbusinessinthecamps’.

This isacommonfinding in refugeehostingsettings likeKenyaaswell – informal localeconomicintegration may provide the key to the longer term approach needed for a strategic program:workingfromthefieldupwardstoNRC’sstrategy.


u The purchasing power of beneficiaries at the household level, though only in the shorttermandonasmallscaleasaccesstorefugeelivelihoodsoutsideofthecampsettingarerestricted.Thiswassubstantiatedbyrecipientscitinganinabilitytoaccesslivelihoodspost-graduation.

u Abilitytoaccesslivelihoodspost-graduationu Harmoniousrelationshipsforsocialandeconomiccohesionu Cross-fertilisationbetweenprogrammesu Cross-fertilisationwithotherstakeholders

Casestudy:Contributingtolocalsolutions

In Shire, the host and refugee communities cited a harmonious and mutually beneficialrelationship: borrowing of tools and lendingof incomedemonstrated confidence and trust incommunitycounterparts.

According to IOM, ‘there has been a visible change in the way that refugees from NRC-supported camps interact with other refugees – they just carry themselves with moreconfidence’. The research revealed that important progress was made towards longer-termgoalsof local integration.For instance, inShire,graduatesreportedthe formationof informalbusiness relations between refugee and host communities to optimize access to businessopportunities.


Aleaderwithoutastrategy–responsibilityandpotentialwayforward

As theprevious sectionhas shown,NRChasbecomeade facto leader in livelihoods for refugeecommunities and host communities alike in both urban and camp settings, such as Shire,whereNRCimplementsroughly12differentlivelihoodprogrammestargetingvariouscommunitygroups.Inaddition,itsfocusonbuildingthepotentialofyouthhasbeennoted,boththroughobjectiveandsubjectiveindicatorsandprogrammeoutcomes.

Livelihoods programming is relatively new in Shire. However, it has gained traction with manyactors wanting to join in and play a role. In Shire, NRC is perceived as a leader in livelihoodsprogramming from development to implementation and coordination. Part of this assessment isduetoNRC’sroleinestablishingtheLivelihoodsWorkingGroup,whichbeganonlysixmonthsagoand isco-chairedwithARRAmonthly.Thisgroup’sactivity isstrong,withparticipation fromNRC,WFP,UNHCR,ARRA, IOMandallotherkeypartners.Thisprovidesaplatformfromwhichtoplanandcoordinateanactuallivelihoodsstrategy–whichiscurrentlymissing.

Although ARRA currently regards NRC as the expert organization on livelihoods, this should beclarified.NRC is proving to be a dynamic and activepartner in youthprogramming andbusinesscreation,livelihoodsprogrammingandresiliencebuilding,yetitisnottheonlyone.Thethree-partcategorisationpresentedaboveshowsthatpartnershipsneedtobebuilton:1)Foodsecurityandlivelihoods,2)youthprogrammingandlivelihoods,and3)communityresilienceandparticipation.

Coordination is needed along these three axes to allow, for instance, for youth programming toleadtosustainablebusinessenterprises,forfoodsecuritytoleadtohighernutritionlevelsandself-reliance, and for community participation to include community-based monitoring schemes.Coordinationwillensurethatduplication isavoided.Numerouspartners inthecamps(ZOA,NRC,OICE)arecurrentlyimplementingthesameskillstrainings.Thishasnotyetsaturatedthemarket,astheneedsare sohigh.However, this isaduplication thatmustbeaddressednow.Asabasis forcoordination,acomprehensivemarketsurveyisneededtobetteralignneedswithsupport.

Forcoordination towork, livelihoodsspecialists, foodsecurityspecialistsandyouthprogrammingspecialistswill need tobebroughtonboard towork togetherunder theumbrellaof a resilienceprogramme in Ethiopia’s camp and urban refugee settings. The next chapter delves into thepossibilityofsuchaholisticapproachbasedonthelessonslearnedfromthisevaluation.


IV.STRATEGICFINDINGS:BuildingaLearningAgenda

NRCprogrammerankingalongSamuelHall’s7assessmentcriteria

Aseven-point criteriahasbeenused toassessNRC’sprogrammes inDolloAdoand inShire. Thesameframeworkwasappliedtobothcontextstoidentifythepotentialtostrengthenandscaleuptheprogram.ThesevencriteriaandtheircomponentshavebeencategorisedintoareasofstrengthandweaknessforNRC:

NRC’skeystrengthshavebeenonbuildingfromscratcha1) Relevantprogramme2) Feasibleandwellappreciatedprogramme3) PoliticallyacceptableprogrammewelcomedbyARRA4) Potentialforintegratedprogramming

Thekeyweaknessestobeaddressedare:

5)Areasofopportunitycurrentlynotexplored(suchascross-borderopportunities)6)Ethicalacceptability7)Avoidanceofduplication–aprimaryconcernofallstakeholdersinterviewed

Generally,NRC’s logical sequencing frombasic services to livelihoods is consistentwith identifiedprogrammaticapproachestocreatesustainableimpacts,anditdidhelpbeneficiariesintheshort-termtogainskillsandsubsidise their income.Staff ingenuity inprojectdesign,whichproactivelyrecommended linkages between core competencies and livelihoods, has addressedbeneficiaries’evolving needs. The projects have therefore been able to address a number of resilienceprogramming factors and have created space to link humanitarian and developmentprogramming.

INVESTMENTSTOBEMADE

5. URGENCYOFNEED/AREASOFOPPORTUNITY

6. ETHICALACCEPTABILITY7. AVOIDANCEOFDUPLICATION

GAINSTOPROTECT:Foundations

1. RELEVANCE2. FEASIBILITYANDIMPLEMENTATION3. POLITICALACCEPTABILITY4. APPLICATIONOFRECOMMENDATIONS


RANKINGBYASSESSMENTCRITERIA

Criteria Status FindingsRELEVANCE Acquired ImmediateneedsforIGAsandlivelihoodsarehigh.Respondents

described education and skills training as ‘important’, ‘critical’and ‘essential’, with access to such programmes a means toimprove their future. Strong economic relationships werereported between host and refugee communities and could beleveraged more substantively while mentorship trainings andknowledge sharing initiatives provide a ‘homegrown’ platformforscale.

AVOIDANCEOFDUPLICATION

Inprogress The livelihood programme mode of delivery correctly variedacrosstheregionsassessed.Nonetheless,theabsenceofmarketassessments as well as interagency coordination meant thatrefugee sector actors were not always aware of each other’sactivities, resulting in duplications in programming. In thisregard,NRCcouldpositionitselfstronglybytakinga leadinthecoordinationandexecutionofmarketassessments.

URGENCYOFNEED/AREASOFOPPORTUNITY

Priority NRCprogrammeswereinhibitedbyitsmonitoringcapacitiesduetoshortfundingcyclesandtomultipledonors.AcommonM&Eframeworkacrossfundingstreamsisrequiredtokeepstandardsin implementationand in flexibleprogramming. It is imperativethat this process be linked to the formalisation of a learningagenda across its core competencies.Without a strongerM&Eapproach, it is impossible to better avoid duplications and linklivelihoodsprogrammingandprogress towardsthereductionofsecondarymigration.

POLITICALACCEPTABILITY

Priority ‘Sustainable livelihoods’ is not a term that NRC can continueworking with in this context. Detached from reality, the truesustainabilityoflivelihoodsforrefugeesintheEthiopiancontextis questionable. As a result, it would be preferable to seelivelihoodsaspartofabiggerstrategy,ratherthanastrategyinand of itself. Livelihoods can be one component of a biggerframework in Ethiopia to build the resilience of refugees andhost communities,whichwould contribute to thedevelopmentofadurablesolutionslandscape.

FEASIBILITY Priority Toensuregainsandminimizethreats,livelihoodsprogrammingwillneedtofocusonaddressinggenderimbalancesaswellasincommunity-basedsocialcohesion.

APPLICABILITYOFRESULTSorRECOMMENDATIONS

Inprogress NRChasbecomeadefactoleaderinlivelihoodsforrefugeeandhost communities alike inboth theurbanand camp settings. Ithas been able to navigate structural constraints and is wellpositioned to establish guidelines on best practices and sharelearning’sthroughtargetedmessagingtoitskeystakeholders.

ETHICALACCEPTABILITY

Inprogress NRC is regardedasapreferredpartnerandanatural ‘leader’ infurthering changes in the implementation of coordinated,collective livelihoodsmodels. NRCmust ensure it canmeasureandreinforce itsowncapacitiessothat itcanmeetstakeholderdemandsandexpectations.


CASESTUDIES

Thefollowingsectionisdesignedtosummarisethecriteriapresentedaboveandprovidehighlights,key findingsandasummarydashboardontheoverall scalabilityonthe interventionscaptured ineachregion.

Results

• Shire rankshighlyaccordingtotheassessmentcriteriawithaspecifichighrankingonthescalabilityofthisprogrammearea

o High:Achievements:relevance,feasibility,urgencyofneed,ethicalacceptabilityo Medium (to be reinforced): Applicability of recommendations, potential for

scalability,politicalacceptabilityforexpandedprogramming

• DolloAdorankslowerthanShireinitsoverallpotentialforscalabilityo High:Relevance,urgencyofneed,applicabilityofrecommendationso Medium (to be reinforced): Feasibility, avoidance of duplication, ethical

acceptability,overallpotentialforscalabilityo Low:Politicalacceptabilityforexpandedprogramming


HIGHLIGHTS:

• Youth graduates were reported tohave conducted mentorshiptrainingstotransferlearnedskillstothe wider community. Thesementorship initiativeswerewidelypraised and deemed as the nextstepinself-reliantprogramming.

• Strong economic relationshipswere reported between host andrefugeecommunities.Businessandcommunitymembersreportedthatgraduates played a key role in thelocaleconomy,offeringskills,whichcontributedtomarketdiversityandstrengthened local purchasingpower. Business leaders remarked‘there are advantages to hiringstudentlearnersandvocationtrainingbeneficiaries,astheyhaveastheyaremorequalifiedtoconductthework’.

• The contiguous nature of the implementation landscape highlighted unique opportunities toformulate cross-border synergies betweenNRC’sYEPprogramming inSomalia (Dollow)andEthiopia(DolloAdo). These include linkagesbetweenmarkets and incomegenerating activities inDollowandDolloAdothroughtheharmonizationofvocationskillprogramming.

• NRC’s irrigationprojectpresentstheteamwithaclearopportunityto learnandinnovate. Intermsofscaling,theprojectshoulddosocarefullyandexercisestrongmonitoringprotocols,includingincreasedcommunitydialogueandtheuseofformallandagreements.Inthiscontext,informationsharingshouldbe better utilized to ensure the successful implementation of the transformation trainings andsensitizedonthemutuallybeneficialoutcomesoftheprojecttoincreaseitslikelihoodofsuccess.

CONSTRAINTS:

• Thecommunityremainedmoredependentonaidtomeettheirbasicneeds,resultinginhigherratesofbeneficiarydependency,andconflictswerenotuncommonamongstprogrammebeneficiaries.

• The lack of standardised reporting and accountability created an imbalance between business andpersonalagendas,whichhasthepossibilitytoresultinfinancialabuse.Keystakeholdersreportedthatthismay be largely attributed to the lack of formal documentation provided by programme staff tomonitor the relationship between the farmer (refugee beneficiary) and the landowner (hostbeneficiary).

• Communitiesreportedlyfeltmarginalisedandinadequatelysupportedthroughouttheproject.Ascitedin FGDs,host recipients and community leaders reported feelingsof discontentanduneasewith theproject’simplementation.

CASE STUDY:

DOLLO ADO


HIGHLIGHTS:

• NRC is positioned as a leader inlivelihoods programming in Shire,chairing the Livelihoods WorkingGroup, which has proved strong incoordination and is cited as a keyintervention for replication in otherregions.

• Donors and partners praise internalintegration of livelihoodsprogramming, including theemployment of YEP graduates inshelter programming and poultrycagewelding. IOMnoted that ‘sinceNRC's entrance there have beengreat impacts. We have seen anincreaseinbasicservices–theyaretheshelterleader–andanincreaseinbusiness–inparticular,fromyouthssettingupbusinessinthecamps’.

• Host and refugee communities cited harmonious andmutually beneficial relationships, including thelendingofincome,whichdemonstratesconfidenceandtrustincommunitycounterparts.AccordingtoIOM,‘therehasbeenavisiblechange inthewaythatrefugeesfromNRCsupportedcamps interactwithotherrefugees–theyjustcarrythemselveswithmoreconfidence’.

• NRC graduates reported the formation of informal business relations between refugee and hostcommunitiestooptimiseaccesstobusinessopportunities.

• There are also partnerships in place with academic and technical partners, such as with MadridUniversityandtheSpanishDevelopmentAgencyinShire,toprovideelectricitytothecamps.

CONSTRAINTS:

• On-goingduplicationsinvocationalskillstrainingbetweenNRCandotherpartnersinlivelihoodsislikelytoleadtotheoversaturationofcertainskillsinthemarket:‘Everyoneisdoingthesameinlivelihoods’.

• WiththedemandstoscaleinShire,thereisaclearneedfortheteamtoensurethatprogrammingdoesnotoutpaceitscapacitytoimplement.

• AmismatchbetweenprojectoutcomesandbeneficiaryexpectationsofemploymentandaccesstoIGAsweremuchhigherinShire.

Furthermore,whiletheTVETcollaborationhasprovenbeneficial,theresearchrevealedthatnotalleligibleyouthgraduatesoptedtotaketheCentreofCompetence(CoC)examinations.

CASE STUDY:

SHIRE


1. FocusonEthicalAcceptability

Ethical acceptability has been partially achieved with the appropriate targeting of refugeepopulationsandintegrationofcommunitymembers(bothrefugeesandhost)intheprogramme’sreach.Foreffectiveprogresstowardsinformallocalintegration(withon-goingeconomicexchangesbetweenrefugeesandhosts),otherconflictsshouldbeaddressedtoimprovesocialcohesionasapathwayforeconomicwell-beingforall.Reportedconflictsbetweenrefugeesandhosts–althoughoutweighed by collaboration between the two groups – over natural resources and access tointerventionsmeanthisaspectofNRC’sworkwillneedtobestrengthened.

Effortstoimproveethicalacceptabilityshouldpayparticularattentionto:

§ Genderbalance§ Socialcohesion§ Conflictovernaturalresources

Therewerereportsofincreasedconflictsbetweenrefugeesandthehostcommunityovernaturalresourcesandaccesstointerventions.

It is important to note that the community’s fragility in each assessed locationwas found to beexacerbatedbythereportedenergycrisisrelatedtodeforestation.Alackofresourcesresultedinhostilitiesbetweenhostand refugeecommunities trying topreserveandprotect their resources.Forexample,akey informant inShirenoted that ‘nowthehostcommunitywill cutayoung treeversus risking it falling into the hands of a refugee’. ARRA cited that, without intervention, thesituationwasunlikelytochangebecauseofthelargeconsumptionoffuelneededtoproducethelocal food ‘injera’. Although not directly in the scope of NRC’s programming, this presents asignificantopportunitytoexploreenergysavinginitiatives.

InDolloAdo,conflictsamongstprogrammebeneficiarieswerenotuncommon.OneFGDparticipantnoted, ‘we have been choked on dust and received nothing’. This may be attributed to limitedcommunityengagementsdue the locationof thecampsandurbansettlements.Despite this, thecommunitynotedpositiveengagementswithcounterpartsoutsidetheirrigationschemeandcitedthatincreasedengagementwithNRCandstakeholderswouldbebeneficialandwelcome.

Genderbalancecanprovideamoreeffectivelinkagebetweenlivelihoodsandfoodsecurity.

In terms of gender, programmes targetwomen as priority. However, given the high numbers ofmaleyouthsand lownumbersof femaleyouths (roughly35%of thepopulation),projectsusuallyendupwitha50/50gendersplit.Itisimportanttonotethatlabourintensiveprogrammesaresplitinfavourofmales(70/30)–theseareusuallyhostcommunityactivitiesbecausetheyoftenrequireland.Asaresult,targetingstillremainsanissuethathinderswomen’sactivitiesand,morebroadly,families’ foodsecurity.Planning forwomentobe included inagriculturalworkwillbea requirednextstepinfoodsecurelivelihoods.


Furthermore, in terms of gender balance, this assessment captured a structuralweakness:TVETcertifications are limited to predominately male-oriented projects, such as metalworking andelectrical installation. Thismaybe attributed to the higher populationofmales in each assessedlocation and cultural demands on females in the home. Thus, despite programming targetingwomen, to reach a proportionally higher number of women the team must further refine itsprogrammaticapproachtoaddressspecificbarriersfacingbothwomen’saccesstoeducationalandvocationaltrainingandtotheircertification,ifalonger-termimpactisexpected.

Amoreeducatedcaseload

YEP and livelihoods programmes include similar elements: life skills, vocational skills andliteracy. However, in 2015 the YEP programme shifted to an accelerated model (six-ninemonths),whichofferedcompetency literacy asopposed to full literacyprogrammes.Thiswasbecauseas themajorityof refugeescoming into thecampswerealready literate. In turn, thisallowed NRC to augment a three-month vocational/entrepreneurship training package for adifferent caseload. Therefore, NRC reached a higher number of beneficiaries whileimplementing more effective programming through the literacy competency programme.Alongside the YEP programme, NRC practices integrated livelihoods programmingwith othercore competencies (shelter, food security and livelihoods) to create linkages to incomegeneratingactivitiesandcashgrants.This is primarilydone for youthandpost-YEPgraduates.Thisintegrationiswellreceivedandperceivedinthefield.

YEP and all vocational trainings arecertifiedwith TVET.Graduates have theoption to receivetwocertificates:1)fromNRCand2)anofficialgovernmentcertificateiftheysitforandpassthegovernment exam.On average, about 60-70%of graduateswill opt to sit for the examwhileabout80%willpass.ThisisveryhighwhencomparedwiththeaveragefromgovernmentTVETschools. NB: all education programmes (primary, vocation, etc.) are required to use thegovernmentsysteminEthiopia.

Certificates are highly valued by beneficiaries. There are anecdotal examples of beneficiarieswho returned or moved from the settlements and lost their certificates, and who thencontactedNRCdirectly to ask for a copyof their certificates to be sent to them. This furtherdemonstrates that refugees see the skills they are learning as valuable to them outside ofEthiopia.Focusgroupdiscussionswithbeneficiariesandnon-beneficiaries inShiresupportthisfinding.

Thedual importanceofyouthprogrammingandcertificationshouldnot ignorewomen’s rolesand women’s skills. A greater enrolment of women in youth programming and a greateremphasisoncertification in trainings targetedatwomenshouldbesought to improvegenderbalance.


2. FocusonAvoidanceofDuplication

Acrosstheboardstakeholderscitedconcernsovertheduplicationofvocationaltraininginitiativesbydifferentorganisations.

Themosteffectivemeanstoreduceduplicationsuggestedbystakeholdersincluded:

u Coordination

u Campmanagement

u Bringingtogetherimplementingpartnersandcommunitypartnersinurbansettings

In order to better understand the implementation landscape, this assessment asked therespondents if they were aware of similar programming. Overwhelmingly, participants reportedbeingawareofsimilarlivelihoodsprogrammingimplementedbydifferentpartners;however,theywere unable to provide details on the interventions. A small minority of beneficiaries reportedreceiving support from multiple sources. Stakeholders confirmed the concern over duplicationwhentheynotedissuesofreplicationbetweenpartners.Thishasbeenseenintheexamplegivenby IOMShire of livelihoodsduplicationbetween IRC andNRCprior to IRC’s exit from livelihoodsprogramming, and the on-going duplication between OICE and NRC in livelihoods programming.Interestingly, in Shire, theduplication in skills trainingwasnot found tobeabarrier inaccessingIGAs.However,inDolloAdo,NRCstaffreportedconflictsduetolimitedmarketaccess.

Coordinationandstrongcampmanagementwerereportedwidelyasthemosteffectivemechanismstoreduceduplication.

InthecampsstrongmanagementonthepartofARRAandUNHCRminimisedduplication.Routinecoordination and information sharing systems were reported across the regions assessed. KIIsnoted that the camp management accountability matrix successfully reduced repetitions inprogrammingandfunding,referringtoitas‘key’tothesuccessofthecurrentcampmanagementstructures.Despite this, an increase in livelihoods actors and funding for similar initiatives led tosomeissueswithduplicationamongpartnersimplementingskillstraininginitiatives.NRCShirestaffcorroborate the repetition, noting ‘everyone is doing the same in livelihoods andwants to copyYEP’, although ARRA in Shire says duplication in the area has been reduced as a result of theLivelihoods Working Group. This is in contrast to the statements of the UNHCR AssistantRepresentative forProtection,whonoted theUNHCR’s responsibility tomitigateduplication,andstatedthattherewas‘sofarnoduplicationofprogrammingwithlivelihoods’.

Outside of the camp setting, gaps as well as duplications between implementing partners andcommunitycounterpartswerewidelyreported.Thus,thereexistsaclearopportunityintheurbansettingforNRCtoexpanduponopportunitieswherethetwogroupscouldbebroughttogether–much as theworking groups in the camps – to both foster positive relations and open upmorelivelihoodactivitiesforrefugees.


Integratedprogramming–aninternalpotentialtoaddressduplicationProgrammes of interestfor integration include thosementioned in this study: YEP,micro-credit,backyardgardening,short-termvocationtraining(threemonths)andchildprotection.ARRAhaspraisedNRC’sinternalintegrationoflivelihoodsprogramming,includingtheemploymentofYEPgraduates in shelterprogrammingandpoultrycagewelding.NRCaffirmed theseactivitieswerescalableandreplicableinotherregions.Again,NRC’sprogrammingexamplepromptedARRA(through the working group) to begin mapping all activities where there will be employmentopportunitiesforrefugees inthefuture.Theyplan,throughtheLWG,toensurethe linkbetweenlivelihoodsandemploymentexistsforrefugeesinthefuture.Yet,toavoidduplication,keystepsincoordinationarerequiredasthereispresently:

• Nocomprehensivemarketstudyforimplementersandcampmanagerstoreference• NocomprehensivemarketanalysisinShire

o There is to date no formal linkage between skills/vocational trainings and IGAs:thereis,asaresult,acleargapinpost-graduationsupport.

• NostrategytoguideNRC’sinternalintegrationoflivelihoodsatthearealevel• Nocoordinatedstrategyamongstakeholderstolink:

o Educationandlivelihoodso Childprotectionandlivelihoodso Incentivesforhostfamilies

• Furthermore, NRC has no internalmonitoring tomeasure or action points related to itsintegratedprogramming–thisisalldoneindividuallyonanadhocbasis.

Market Assessment: ARRA has expressly asked NRC to conduct a comprehensive marketassessment. They would then, gladly, refer other actors to this assessment to inform futurelivelihoodsprogramming.ThiswouldbeanothersteptowardsestablishingNRCas the livelihoodsexpertinthearea.Innovation:NRCisworkingwithARRAtopilotrefugeecooperativeswhichwillenablerefugeestoaccess local financial institutions. This process can happen locally but would be far morecomplicated at a federal level. This type of innovation provides stronger project sustainability(providingNRCwith an exit strategy) and could be replicated andpiloted in other regions. Localengagement,ratherthanafederalinitiative,isneeded.


Snapshot:NRC’surbanrefugeeprogramming

ThefollowingsectionprovidesanoverviewofNRC’surbanrefugeeprogramminginAddis.Thedata presentedbelowwere captured through key information interviews andonebeneficiarycasestudy.ItisnotintendedtoprovideacomprehensiveanalysisofNRC’surbanprogrammes;rather it provides a snapshot of lessons learned, challenges and opportunities in the urbansetting.

Theurbancontextpresentsuniqueopportunitiesinlightofthepotentialexpansionoftheoutof camp policy. As refugee populations in urban settings grow, the need for more thoroughengagementandsolidprogrammingincreases.Withmuchofurbanprogramming–especiallyinlivelihoods – in its infancy, there are opportunities for NRC to establish itself as a leader.However,inrelationtolivelihoodsprogrammingspecifically,significantpolicyconstraintsexist.While government engagement and other efforts to improve these livelihood opportunitiesmust continue, the current environment suggests a need for NRC to carefully consider itspositioninginurbanrefugeeprogramming.

Intermsofopportunities,oneofthemaindiscoveriesduringfieldworkinAddisAbabawasthelackofknowledgeandcoordinationpresentintheurbancontext.RefugeeactorsinterviewedinAddis Ababawereunaware of eachother’s activities, andmultiple stakeholders noted thelack of information and assessment of needs in other urban areas in Ethiopia. As such, NRCcould position itself strongly by taking the lead on both coordination and assessmentsthroughouturbanenvironments inEthiopia,which ispertinent in lightoftheincreasingurbanrefugeepopulation.

NRCisoneofthefewentitiestoengageinlivelihoodsprogrammingintheurbansetting.NRC’smain urban livelihood activity is cash grants of 2000 birr to support livelihood activities,providedtobothrefugeeandhostcommunitymembers.WhileNRCisunderstandablyproudofits‘uniqueness’intargetinglivelihoodsintheurbancontext,therehasbeenalackofsuccessinthisendeavour.WhilethehostcommunitybeneficiariesoftheNRCurbanlivelihoodscashgrantprogrammehaveanover50%successrateinutilizingthecashgrantstosupportlivelihoods,thevastmajorityofrefugeebeneficiariesultimatelyusedthegrantsforbasicneedsasopposedtolivelihoods.

NRC and other actors internally acknowledge that these sorts of livelihoods programmeswilllikelynotbesuccessfuluntilthepolicycontextchanges.Therefore,thereisaneedforagreatergovernmentengagementelement,whichNRCiscurrentlyreframingtheirurbanprogrammingtoinclude.However,inlightoftheinabilityforspecificlivelihoodprogrammingtobesuccessful,the realityofwhat the cash grants arebeingused for instead,andNRC’s strengths asabasicservicesprovider,thereyetremainopportunitiesforNRCtoestablishastrongfootholdintheurbancontext.


3. Areasofopportunity/Monitoring&Evaluation

Challenges in short-term funding were found to limit both the programme outcomes and theteam’sabilitytomonitorthem.

NRC’s livelihoodsprogrammeshavebeenwellreceivedandaresuitedtothe immediateneedsofthebeneficiaries.Despitethis,NRCwasinhibitedbyitsmonitoringcapacitiesduetoshortfundingcycles,whichwerefoundtoprecludepost-outcomemonitoringofprojectsandhamperitsabilitytoscale effectively. The research was therefore unable to determine the interventions’ impact onsecondarymigrationandonwardmovements,renderingoneofstakeholders’primaryobjectivesinlocalintegrationthroughlivelihoodsinterventionslargelyineffective.

As an ARRA representative noted, the funding cycles do not allow a move beyond short-termoutputstolong-termimpacts.Thisalsoinhibitsprogrammaticfunctioningincertainsituations,suchas YEP and vocational training. In these programs, the teachers are often highly skilled, but theshortfundingcyclesmakeitchallengingtoretaintheteachersafterfundingends,andsotheyoftenleave to find other employment. The impact of NRC’s programmes on livelihood capacity andincome of beneficiaries is also not strongly monitored, creating additional challenges inaccountabilityanddirectaccesstobeneficiaries.

Thisfurtherimpactedtheteam’sabilitytoensurethefundsdistributedforbusinessstart-upwerespentcorrectly.Forinstance,beneficiaries’useofcashtoaccessbasicservicesanddiversify thefamily food basket were widely reported. In Dollo Ado, ARRA noted, the lack of accountabilitycreatedanimbalancebetweenbusinessandpersonalagendas,whichmayresultinfinancialabuse.A simple solution toaddress this concern in the short termwouldbe forNRC todevelopabasicasset tracking system, potentially through the use of mobile phones, to provide more effectfeedbacksystems.

Finally, due to the lack of available indicators in NRC’s monitoring, the research was unable todeterminetheintervention’simpactonsecondarymigrationandonwardmovements.Thiscanbeaddressed in future monitoring guidelines. A clear area for concern is the flexibility of NRC’svocation training selection,whichmay ultimately compromise the impact of its programming aspeersareoftenabletoinfluenceeachother’sdecisionsleadingtoasimilarskillstrainingsselection

Takingtheexampleoftheirrigationprogramme,whichisthekeytothefoodsecuritycomponentofanylivelihoodsstrategyforNRC,thereistodate:

• Noformalmonitoringmechanismorpost-outcomemonitoring• Amissedopportunityformonitoringthroughtheuseofmobiletechnology• Amissedopportunitytoestablishstrongmonitoringprotocols

ThenotablelackofcomprehensiveandroutinemarketassessmentstoinformtheprojectdesignmaybeconsideredoneofthegreatestthreatstoNRC’sprogrammingandaddressingitshouldbeapriority.

While the relevance of NRC’s livelihoods programming is clear, the lack of comprehensive androutinemarketassessmentsinNRC’sareasofoperationsmaybeconsideredthelargestbarriertocreating sustainable and responsible programming. As ARRA notes, market needs change andassessments need to be done routinely to avoid market saturation. For example, certain


programmes/skillstaughthavebeenduplicated.Todatethesehavenotresultedinsevereissuesastheneeds remainveryhigh,but itwill likely lead tooversaturationofcertainskills in themarketeventually. NRC Shire staff corroborates this duplication, noting ‘everyone is doing the same inlivelihoodsandwants tocopyYEP’,althoughARRA inShiresaysduplication in theareahasbeenreduced as a result of the Livelihoods Working Group. Despite this success, the working groupmodelwasnot reported inother rural location,although itwashighlightedbykey informantsasapplicable and relevant in out of camp and camp settings throughout Ethiopia. Of particularinterestwasARRA’sandUNHCR’swillingnesstosupportNRCintheinceptionofworkinggroupsineachofEthiopia’scampsettings.

There is a clear incongruity between beneficiaries’ expectations and the results of the NRCprogramming.

InDolloAdo,onebeneficiarynoted,‘IthasbeenmorethantwoyearssinceIfinishedmytrainingandreceivedamotor.ThebiggestproblemisIneverstartedreceivinganyincome.Themotorhasaproblem.ItriedtocommunicatetopeoplefromNRC,butitdidn’tworkout.IwanttoaskNRCtolookatourproblemagainandhelpusmaintainourlivelihoods’.

Frommultipleangles–KIIs,FGDsandcasestudies–therewereconsistentreportsofamismatchbetweenthesizeofthecashgrantsorloansforvocationalactivitiesandbeneficiaries’actualneedstostartbusinesses.Furthermore,thelowlevelofcashdistributedwasdeemedtohave‘diluted’theimpact of the project to a great extent even when utilized correctly. For example, outside ofinternally linked income-generatingopportunities forYEPgraduates, there isahigh levelofpost-graduationunemployment forparticipants–negatingthetheoretical linkagesbetweeneducationandlivelihoods.AsanARRArepresentativenoted,the lackof incomegenerationaftergraduationmeanstheYEPisnottrulyasuccessfullivelihoodendeavour.Thus,withoutconcreteandadequatelinkages between vocational trainings and income generating activities, NRC is significantlyinhibited intheactualsuccessof its livelihoodsprogram. Intermsofaccessto incomegeneratingactivities,thewidercommunityreportedthatNRCprogramming,inparticulartheYEPprogramme,increasedyouths’abilitytopositivelycontributetothewelfareoftheirhouseholdsandthewidercommunity.

Amonitoringandinformationmanagementsystemisnecessary.

Thissystemshouldbebasedonthe:

• Seven-pointcriteria• IndicatorsforinclusioninNRCprogrammingpresentedintheprevioussection

ThisreportrecommendsthecreationofamonitoringandinformationmanagementsystemwithinNRC and between partners of livelihoods programmes in Ethiopia. Increasingly, agencies on thegroundarereceivingsimilarrequests.Donorsaremotivatedbyreducingsecondarymigration,yetdataisscarce.Assuch,ifstudiescantieNRC(andotherpartners’)activities–likeYEP–toreducedsecondarymigration, thatwould increase their ability to better coordinate further programmes,targetneeds,andacquirefunding.

Agreateremphasisonaninformationmanagementsystemisthereforeneededforthepotentialoflivelihoods programmes to be integrated in a resilience framework and in a potential durablesolutionsframework.


Apotentialfordurablesolutions?Greateremphasisisneeded.

Actors noted that increased livelihoods are key to stemming irregular migration and secondarymovements.ThisisparticularlythecaseinShire,wheretheNRCeducationcoordinatornotedthatmostrefugeescomewiththeintentiontomakeonwardmovementsbutmakedifferentdecisionsoncetheyhavebeeneducated.Thereisalsoageneralsensethatkeepingyouthbusyandlearningwhen they arrive in the camps helps to promote positive community relationships and curbnegativecopingmechanisms.SecondarymigrationInordertoassessthisbeyondanecdotalfindings,theroleofmonitoringiscentral.NRCwillrequireatoolforbettertrackingofbeneficiariesandlinkagestoincomegeneratingactivities.ThiscanlikelybelinkedtoUNHCR’sinterestinDolloAdototapintothepoolofNRCYEPgraduatesastargetsforincomegeneratingactivities.Thisshouldhaveaclearmitigationstrategy,asitmaycreateconflictswith those who have not received support, while also opening possible links to a mentorshipprogrammingwherebytheselectedyouthwouldactasamultipliereffect.InShire,itwasnotedthatthelifeskillscomponentofYEPdidindeedhaveanimpactonrefugees’viewsofanddecisionstomigrateirregularly,astheyallcomewiththisinitialintention.However,asprogrammesarenotlinkedtoincomegenerationactivities,beneficiariesareleftwithnochoicebutto carry out risky movements, even though it may not be their preferred action. This greatlyimpactstheproject’soutcomesandmayevenrenderthemineffective.

InformallocalintegrationthroughmentorshipprogrammeanddedicatedmarketspacesNRChasusedhostcommunityexpertstoconducthands-ontrainingforrefugeeswhileconstructingshelters.Thegroupshavenowbecomeformalizedskilled‘groups’oftrainedrefugeesthatareusedby NRC in shelter construction. Stakeholders in Shire reported the shelter/YEP integration asinnovativeandimpactful.Oneapproach to integratedmarket spacesare refugeedaysat the localmarket,where refugeescansellgoodswithanARRApassinselectedstalls.Betterintegrationbetweenhostgraduatesandrefugeegraduatescanbepromotedtogeneratebusinessinsideandoutsidethecamp.NRChasthepotential tomake amajor impact by conducting an intention survey and comprehensivemarketsurvey.


4. Lessonslearnedtobeshared

Camp integration: One clear area that could benefit from greater integration is the relationshipbetweencamps.Campsdonotseemtosharelessonslearnedorexchangebeneficiaryexperiencestomaximizeonhumanresourcesandcapital.Thesepossibilitiesshouldbefurtherinvestigated.Forexample,inthenewlyformedHitsatscampthereisahighdropoutrateinYEPprogramming–andperhaps sharing lessons learned or increasing interaction between refugees of different campscould mitigate this. Integration is on-going, and there are opportunities for expansion betweenchildprotectionandYEPprogramming,withunaccompaniedminorsconstitutingakeytargetgroupfor YEP.With UNHCR’swish for NRC to pursue greater involvement in child protection in Shire,expandingthisintegrationofunaccompaniedminorsasbeneficiariesofYEPiskey.

Moreover,as seen in theexampleof cooperatives,otheroptionsto improve livelihoodactivitiescouldincludemarketaccessforrefugees,whichwouldallowspecialpermissionforrefugeestoselltheirgoods(undercertainconstraints)inhostcommunitymarkets.Anotheroptioncurrentlybeingexplored by NRC, IPs and ARRA in Shire is establishing markets within the camps in which YEPgraduateswouldbegivenspacetooperatebusinesses.Thetheoryisthathostcommunitieswouldutilisethesemarketsduetotheperceivedskillsoftherefugeesandthepotentialtoaccesstax-freegoods and services. However, in the restrictive policy environment, there are major feasibilityissuesintheserespectsthatneedtobebetterassessed.

Pursuitstobeexplored

Innovation/basicassettrackingsystemOverall the lackof routine informationmanagementandmonitoring further impactedtheteam’sability to ensure the funds distributed for business start-up were spent correctly. For instance,beneficiariesuseofcashtoaccessbasicservicesanddiversifythefamilyfoodbasketwerewidelyreported. In Dollo Ado, ARRA noted the lack of accountability created an imbalance betweenbusinessandpersonalagendas,whichcanresultinfinancialabuse.

Asolutiontoaddresssuchconcerns,intheshortterm,wouldbeforNRCtodevelopabasicassettracking system,potentially through the use ofmobile phones, toprovidemoreeffect feedbacksystems.

Routinework/marketassessments

Whilst the relevance of NRC’s livelihoods programming is not questioned, the lack ofcomprehensiveandroutinemarketassessmentsinNRC’sareaofoperationsmaybeconsideredthelargestbarriertocreatingsustainableandresponsibleprogramming.

AsARRAnotes,marketneedschangeandassessmentsneedtobedoneroutinelytoavoidmarketsaturation. For example, certain programmes/skills taught have been duplicated. In livelihoodsprogramming,NRCintegratesbeneficiariesintoprogrammeplanningbyassessingtheirinterestsinvocationalactivities.Thiscouldbeformalizedintoassessmentsthatconsidertheneedsandcurrentcapacities of refugees onwhich to build. However, the integration of the demand side into theassessments–marketneedsandability toabsorbcertain livelihoods– is lacking inNRC’sYEPandvocationalprogrammes.


This is a key opportunity, as coordinationwith the business community can be used not only toalign training to demands but also to facilitate job placement after graduation and improveprogrammes. This is corroborated by focus group discussions with business leaders in the Shirearea,severalofwhomemphasizedthattheythinkthatNRCwouldbenefit frommore input fromlocalbusinesses.

Coordination/expandingtheLivelihoodsWorkingGroup(LWG)tootherareas

The establishment of the Livelihoods Working Group (LWG) could be expanded to other areas.There are also partnerships in placewith academic and technical partners, such aswithMadridUniversityandtheSpanishDevelopmentAgencyinShiretoprovideelectricitytothecamps.Therecouldbeanopportunityheretobringinlocaluniversities,increasingcollaborationandcommunityengagement.Inaddition,thenascentphenomenaofMBIRRinEthiopiahasthepotentialtohaveastrong influenceonNRCs’projects in a synergistic capacity, asmobile systems couldbeused fordirectcashsupports,accountability,monitoringandinformationmanagement.

NRC is regarded as a preferential partner and a lead organization in livelihoods. Theestablishment of the LivelihoodsWorking Group and shifts towards centralised funding systemsandconsortiamodelsinEthiopiapresentNRCaclearopportunitytofurtherevolveintoaleaderintheimplementationofaconsortiummodel.

Urbanprogramming

ItcanbeassumedthatastrategicentrancepointandfurtherareaofexpansionforNRCintourbanprogramming through its core competency of basic services – adjusted for the urban context –wouldprovideasimilarbasefromwhichNRCcanbuildengagementefforts, increasethetrustofthe governmental actors in urban settings, and, if policy context permits, eventually pursueopportunities for livelihood programming in the future. This shift, coupled with more thoroughassessmentsandanemphasisoncoordination,providesNRCwiththeopportunitytoestablishitselfasakeyplayerintheurbancontext.

Thereisaconcertedlackofknowledgeandcoordinationintheurbancontext.

Refugeeactors interviewed inAddisAbabawereunawareofeachother’sactivities,andmultiplestakeholders noted the lack of information and assessment of needs in other urban areas inEthiopia.

Assuch,NRCcouldpositionitselfstronglybytakingtheleadonbothcoordinationandassessmentsthroughouturbanenvironmentsinEthiopia,whichisespeciallypertinentinlightoftheincreasingurbanrefugeepopulation.

In terms of programming, basic services have providedNRC a solid foundation fromwhich theyhavebeenabletoexpandintolivelihoodprogrammingbyfirstaddressingtheimmediateneedsofbeneficiaries.


V. CONCLUSIONS

Theexpectationthat livelihoodswillbecomeagreaterfocusfordonorssubstantiatestheneedtostrategise and take into consideration NRC’s objectives in livelihoods, be that reducing on-goingmigrationand/ortyinglivelihoodstodurablesolutions.

1. Discussions around durable solutions for refugees in Ethiopia are gaining traction, but thequestionofhowtoensuretheirsustainabilityremainsunanswered.

Donors and implementers are keen to transition towards longer-term solutions to address theevolving and increasing needs of beneficiaries in Ethiopia. Thismakes it especially urgent that agreater focus be placed on refugees’ self-reliance – and thus, on refugee livelihoods. However,whathasbeennotedisthelackofsustainabilityofrefugeelivelihoodsinthecontextofEthiopia.AsaUNHCRrepresentativestated,‘Idon’tknowifyoucanspeakofsustainablelivelihoodswhenitcomes to refugees, because the economic environment is not yet enabling to sustainablelivelihoods’.InlightoftheEthiopiangovernment’sreservationstothe1951Refugee’sConvention’sarticlesthatprotecttherighttowork,theonly livelihoodactivitiesforrefugeesatpresentareadhocandinformal.

Whilethepolicyenvironmentisrestrictive,perhapsmoredifficultisthelackofclarityonoverallpoliciespertainingtorefugees.Refugeesareentitledtoengagein‘informalemployment’,butthedelineation between this and formal employment is not clear tomany actors. Thismakesmanyrefugeeorganisationshesitanttoengageinlivelihoodactivitiesintheurbancontext,astheydonothaveclarityonwhatislegaltosupportandwhatisnot.Withoutaclearunderstanding,theymusterronthesideofcautioninordertoensurepositiverelationshipswithARRAandthegovernment.IntermsofaccessingIncomeGenerationActivities(IGAs)insidethecamps,governmentrestrictionspresentfewerbarriersandso,whilelimited,thereareemploymentopportunitieswithinthecamp.

Outside of the camp and in the urban setting, however, this policy puts refugees in a confusedsituationinrelationtolocalintegrationandself-subsistence.Additionally,livelihoodactivitiesintheout of camp setting are highly constrained due to Ethiopian policy, as the government’sreservationsonArticle17(2)ofthe1951RefugeeConventionremovetherightofemploymentofrefugees. Without access to formal livelihoods, refugees’ employment opportunities areconstrained, and thus their integration opportunities are limited as well. Furthermore, refugeesface issues such as exploitation in the workplace (one refugee the researchers spoke with wasrefusedpaymentbyanemployer)orlowerincomescomparedtoEthiopians.Thuswithoutnationalgovernmentengagement, local integrationand sustainablebusinessopportunities, refugees’ self-relianceisgreatlycompromised.

2. Thereisamoreflexibleapproachtorefugeelivelihoodsattheregionallevel.

Attheregional levelARRA’sapproachtoenablingrefugeesaccessto incomegeneratingactivatesoutsideofthecampwasfoundtobemoreflexible,offeringalternativeaccesstoformal financialinstitutions. For example, NRC and ARRA are working together to design refugee cooperatives,whichwillprovideaccesstolocalbankingsystemsatthebehestofARRA–somethingwhichtodatehasprovenimpossibleformostrefugees,whoareunabletoprovidelegitimatetraveldocumentsaswellascollateral.However,questionsstillremainaboutthecapacityoftherefugeestoleadinthis


process and the political will to participate in such programmes at a national level. Anotherproposedmechanismtofacilitatethetransitiontowardsdurablesolutions,suggestedinFGDsandKIIs, was to sell the goods produced by students in the YEP centres and employ graduates asstudent teachersata cheaper rate to increase thecentres’ costeffectiveness.Suchsolutionsarealsobeingexploredintheregionasanadditionalwaytoincreasegraduates’opportunitiestorefinetheirskills.

Asaresult,NRCisforwardthinkinginmovingtopositionitselfasastrategicplayerinlivelihoods.Its initial basic service response –whichwas highly in demanddue to droughtwhenNRCbeganwork incountryandwell-executed–setthemup inastrongposition inEthiopia,despitebeinganewactor.Fromthissolidfoundation,NRChasbeenableexpandintolivelihoodprogrammingbothinandoutsideofcampsbasedontheneedsandopportunitiespresentedthemselves.Atpresent,however, NRC is limited by the lack of a core strategy to define its approach to livelihoods inEthiopia. In particular, the lack of a clear objective in regards to outcomes - local integration,reduced secondary movements and/or repatriation - may be considered a key threat to NRC’scredibilityandabilitytomeasureitsimpact.

3. NRC’sresponsivenessinimplementingintegratedlivelihoodsinterventionshasplacedNRCinastrongpositiontoleadfutureprogramming.

NRCisregardedasapreferentialpartnerinlivelihoods.NRCiswellregardedbystakeholders,whoreferred to the organization in interviews as transparent, reactive and willing to adapt tochallenges.Despitethis,NRC’sadhocprogrammingset-up,lackoftechnicalexpertiseandlimitedknowledgeoflocalsupplychainsplacestheirpositioninginlivelihoodsatperil.

DonorsinterviewedregardedNRCasapreferentialpartnerinlivelihoodscitingtheirtransparency,reactiveness,andability to independently raise complimentary fundingaskey to thisperception.For instance, DFID described NRC’s work as quality, while SIDA noted that NRC is their primarypartnerintheregion.Notably,donorsregardedNRCasareactiveorganizationwithahandonthepulseonthegroundandabletoadapttochallenges.

InShiretheyestablishedtheLivelihoodsWorkingGroup,whichhasprovedstrongincoordination,andthisexamplecouldbeexpandedorledinotherareas.Therearealsopartnershipsinplacewithacademic and technical partners, such as withMadrid University and the Spanish DevelopmentAgencyinShiretoprovideelectricitytothecamps.Therecouldbethechanceheretobringinlocaluniversities, increasing collaboration and community engagement. In addition, the nascentphenomenaofMBIRRinEthiopiahasthepotentialtohaveastronginfluenceonNRC’sprojectsinasynergistic capacity, as mobile systems could be used for direct cash supports, accountability,monitoringandinformationmanagement.

Moreover,shiftstowardscentralisedfundingsystemsandconsortiamodelsinEthiopiapresentNRCaclearopportunitytofurtherevolveintoaleaderintheimplementationofaconsortiummodels.NRC has a distinct advantage and can build off its internal regional expertise and operations inotherHornofAfricacountries–Somaliaspecifically,whereNRCispartoftheBuildingResilienceinCommunitiesinSomalia(BRCiS)consortium,whichspearheadedconsortiumapproaches.Overall,astronger strategy of resilience for refugees and youth engagement on collaborative funding andoperationalschemesarestepsthatwillhelpNRCstayrelevantintheshiftingaidlandscape.


4. PossibilitiesforreplicationandscalingofNRC’sprogramming?

Keystakeholders reportedNRC’s integratedapproachesand internal synergies tobereplicable inother emergency response and recovery settings throughout Ethiopia. For example, across theboardYEPdropout rateswere reported low,andcertificatesarehighlyvaluedon thepartof thebeneficiaries.ThisdemonstratesneedsforNRC’sprogrammingaswellasaninterestonthepartofbeneficiaries.

In Shire, ARRA praised NRC’s internal integration of livelihoods programming, including theemployment of YEP graduates in their shelter programming and poultry cage welding. Theseactivities were further noted by NRC to be scalable and replicable in other regions. In terms ofaccess to income generating activities, in Shire, ARRA has begun an initiative to map allemployable opportunities for refugees through the TWG to ensure that the link betweenlivelihoodsandemploymentexistforrefugeesinthefuture.

ThelackofacorestrategylimitedtheabilityofNRCinpracticeandasperceivedbystakeholders.Key informants, includingNRC staff, revealed they did not feel interventions fully addressed themost appropriate ways in which to intervene in livelihoods. This was highlighted by the lack ofemphasisonenhancingadaptationstrategiesandincomeflowsandbeneficiaries’differingmeansofdiversifyingincome.

There is a clear need for the team to ensure that programming does not outreach its capacityimplement. For example, staff cited ambitious timelines and unrealistic programming as keychallengestodelivery.‘Inpast,wehavegoneintoprojectswiththeknowledgewecouldnotdeliverwithinthetimeframepresentedbutdiditanywaytomeetdemandsfromthelocalcommunity’.

Alarmingly,NRC’slivelihoodsprogrammesoutsideofthecampsweredeemedlargelyineffectivedue to strict policies, exploitation in the work place and beneficiaries’ immediate needsremaininglargelybasicservices.Ashighlightedbelow,thispresentsNRCtheopportunitytobetterutilizetheirexpertiseinbasicserviceprovision.

5. SeveralkeygapswereidentifiedwhichlimitNRC’scapacitytoscale:alearningagenda.

Gaps were particularly relevant at the area level, where the implementation of crosscuttingactivitieswerecitedtobeguidedbyindividualinteractions,inhibitingtheteam’sabilitytomonitorthesuccessofinteractionsandscalecatalystprogramming.

In terms of NRC’s ability to implement complex livelihoodsmodalities, key informant interviewswithstaffcitedthelackoftechnicalexpertisewithintheorganizationtobeamajorobstacleandto have the potential to inhibit responsible programming. This is substantiatedby the fact thatlivelihoodswithinNRCatagloballeveliscategorizedasacrosscuttinginterventionandisnolongeracorecompetencywheresuchexpertisewouldbeemployed.Whilethemajorityofstakeholdersatthearealeveldidnotperceivethischallenge,implementersinAddisdidmakenoteofthepotentialthreatthatitpresented.

IntermsofYEP,theprogrammingisconsideredvocationalbyexternalstakeholders,butinternallyisstillintheeducationsector.ThisvarianceinperspectiveispartiallyduetothenatureoftheYEPprogramme in Ethiopia in comparison to NRC’s YEP programmes globally. YEP in Ethiopia isaccelerated (having moved to a six-to-nine month model in 2015), with a greater focus on


vocationalskillsandareducedliteracycomponent,asthemajorityofrefugeesarealreadyliterate.However,despiteYEPbeingcategorizedasaneducationprogrammeinNRC,inEthiopiathereisatheoretical integration between livelihoods and education in YEP, considering the emphasis onvocationaltrainingthatismeanttoleadtoincreasedlivelihoodopportunities.

Moreover,despite the strength of NRC’s programmes, there remain limitations and challengesthatwillhamperitsimpactandmayconsequentlyimpactitsabilitytoscale.Theseincludedelaysinmonitoring,poorqualitytoolkitsanddelayeddistribution,andlimitedteachercapacitiesduetohigh turnover. Furthermore, while the TVET collaboration has proven beneficial, the researchrevealed that not all eligible youth graduates opted to take the Centre of Competence (CoC)examinations. In terms of gender, the scaling is further compromised because activitiespredominately focus onmale-oriented vocation training programmes. Thismust be corrected toensurefemaleyouthshaveequalopportunitiesintheprogrammes.

BasicservicesareastrongentrypointforNRCtoupscaleprogramming.

BasicserviceshaveprovidedNRCasolidfoundationfromwhichtheyhavebeenabletoexpandintolivelihoodprogrammingbyfirstaddressingtheimmediateneedsofbeneficiaries.Inthissamevein,it can be assumed that a strategic entrance point and further expansion for NRC into urbanprogramming through its core competency of basic services – adjusted for the urban context –wouldintheoryprovideasimilarbasefromwhichNRCcanbuildengagementefforts,increasethetrustofthegovernmentalactorsinurbansettings,and,ifpolicycontextpermits,eventuallypursueopportunities for livelihood programming in the future. This shift, coupled with more thoroughassessmentsandanemphasisoncoordination,providesNRCwiththeopportunitytoestablishitselfasakeyplayerintheurbancontext.

The challengesnoted in theNRC irrigationprojectpresent the teama clearopportunity to learnandinnovate.Intermsofscaling,theprojectshoulddosocarefullyandexercisestrongmonitoringprotocols, includingincreasedcommunitydialogueandtheuseofformallandagreements.Inthiscontext, special attention should be paid to information sharing to ensure the successfulimplementationoftransformationtraining.


ResearchQuestion1:HowisNRCEthiopiacontributingtosustainableandincreasedlivelihoodsforrefugees?

CoordinationofkeyactorsintheShireTWG,theimplementationofinternalintegratedprogrammingandcomplimentarylivelihoodsprogrammingwithIOM.

Keyprojects:YEP,Micro-credits,backyardgardening,short-termvocationtraining(3months)andchildprotection(linkagestohostslivelihoodssupportandWFPvouches)

ARRAhighlightedtheimpactofNRC’sintegratedlivelihoodsprogrammingasakeyresponsereplicableforimpactelsewhere.TheseincludedtheemploymentofYEPgraduatesinshelterconstructionandpoultrycagemaking.

NRCstaffsuggestedmicro-creditloans,poultryprogrammesandlocalgovernmentengagementforaccesstobankaccountswouldhaveimpactindifferentregions.

ARRA,havingseentheimpactofthelivelihoodsTWG,wouldliketoseeNRCreplicateitstechnicalworkinggroupinothercampsinotherregions.

ResearchQuestion2:Whatconcreteprogrammaticandcoordinationopportunitiesexist?

NRCisinauniquepositiontoreplicateitsleadrolecoordinatingrefugeelivelihoodactivitiesindifferentregions.However,astheyarenotlivelihoodsexperts,theyriskpotentiallylosingthispositionwithoutaclearstrategyandproofofimpact.

Thereisaclearopportunitytocoordinateinteragencyintegratedprogramming.ARRAisonboardandseesNRCasakeyplayerinthisprocess.TheIOM/NRCShireprojectisagoodpilotexample:

• Mobileinnovationopportunities• Buildingonlocalinteractions:host/refugeeinteractionsandinnovation• Durablesolutionstrategies

ResearchQuestion3:HowcanNRClinkitsachievementswithtargetedgovernmentengagementmessages?

Donorswanttheemphasisonreducingsecondarymigration.Harnessingthesupportofdonorsinengagementforincreasedlivelihoodsopportunitiesforrefugeesisthusclear.

Thiscanincludeengagementfor

• Integratedprogrammingatthefederallevelwithkeystakeholders• Responsible,integratedlivelihoodsprogrammingatthefederallevel• Refugeeaccesstolocalfinancialinstitutionsthroughthecooperativeloop-hole

Furtherresearchneeded:howiseducationcontributingtolocalintegrationandirregularmigration?NRCmustconductfollow-upstudiestounderstandmarketneedsandincomegeneratinglinkagesaswellasbeneficiaryintentionspost-graduation.


VI. RECOMMENDATIONS

TenRecommendationsforaLearningAgendaAroundRefugeeLivelihoods

Longterm

ARESILIENCEAGENDA

1.ThinkingofResilience:Beyondsustainablelivelihoods

2.Humanitarian-Developmentcontiguumapproach

3.Aligningresiliencewithdurablesolutions

Mediumterm

ALEARNINGAGENDA

4.MonitoringandEvaluation:standardisingframeworks

5.Sharinglessonslearned

6.Coordinatinginformationsystems

Shortterm

A COORDINATIONAGENDA

7.Governmentcooperationoncommunity-basedinterventions

8.ExpandLWGandlinkwithfoodsecurity

9.Increasehostcommunityinvolvement

10.Increaseyouth-basedprogrammingandagraduationprogramtohighlightstepstowardslivelihoodsforyoungrefugees

Longerterm,thekeymessageofthisresearchistolookbeyondsustainablelivelihoods(aconceptill-adapted to this context) to build a resilience approach whereby absorption, adaptation andtransformationcapacitiesarebuiltatthesametime.Thismeansnotacontinuumbutacontiguumapproach to ensuring that humanitarian actors are given the means to look beyond short-termfunding cycles, to multi-year and multi-partner programming. Key in Ethiopia will be to alignresilience with durable solutions – whether local integration, return or resettlement – and tominimizedisplacementepisodesandthelayeringofdisplacementexperiences.

Thecontiguousnatureoftheimplementationlandscapehighlighteduniqueopportunitiestoformulate cross-border synergies between NRC’s YEP programming in Somalia (Dollow) andEthiopia(DolloAdo).Theseincludelinkagesbetweenmarketsandincomegeneratingactivitiesin Dollow and Dollo Ado through the harmonization of vocation skill programming. Theseprogrammesmust take intoaccountmarketneeds inEthiopiaandSomaliagiven thedonor’s(UNHCR) durable solutions strategy, which is repatriation. In Dollo Ado income generatingactivitiesaswellasYEPvocationskilltrainingmusttakeintoaccountmarketneedsinSomalia.TheycurrentlydonotandsodonotalignwithUNHCR’sdurablesolutionsstrategy.


FocusingonaRESILIENCEapproachandaTHEORYOFCHANGE

Puttingthelearningagendaattheheartofthestrategyrequiresanapproachtoassesstheimpactof programming on absorption (community, local level), adaptation (individual youth focus), andtransformation(durablesolutions)capacity.Thisresearchpresentskeyindicatorscurrentlyleftoutofthemeasurementlandscape.Theseinclude:

INDICATORStoaddtothemonitoringofNRC’sactivities(tentativelistfromthisresearch)

Community–Absorption:

u Satisfactioninprojectimplementationu Communityengagementinbeneficiaryselectionu Localisedprocurementofgoodsu Inclusionofstakeholderviewsinprojectdesignphaseu BarrierstotheimplementationofirrigationprogrammingYouth–Adaptation:u Aspirationsandperceptionsoftheirfutureu Abilitytostart-upalivelihoodspost-trainingu Cashandsupplylevelascomparedtostart-uprequirementsu Vocationalskillsgained/developedu Lifeskillsu IntentionstofurthermigrateLinkages–Transformation:u Thepurchasingpowerofbeneficiariesu Abilitytoaccesslivelihoodspost-graduationu Harmoniousrelationshipsforsocialandeconomiccohesionu Cross-fertilizationbetweenprogrammesu Cross-fertilizationwithotherstakeholders

Buildingacommonroadmap

In a longer-term perspective, it is essential to shift from a model where consortia, NGOs, UNagencies, or implementing partners would only be ‘service providers, to a new paradigmwheredonors and implementing actors learn from their strategic and programmatic choices, incoordination’.Thiswillbekey toacommonengagementplatformonwhat is feasible inEthiopiafromalivelihoodsperspective.

It is necessary tomove beyond singular views of ‘livelihoods vs. resilience’ or ‘humanitarian vs.development’ to recognise multiple possible goals and values, while drawing clear lines (andbridges)betweenprojectsandpartners.Forinstance,itisrecommendedthatNRCprioritises:

- PartnershipswithWFPonfoodsecurityandlivelihoods,refugeesandhosts- PartnershipswiththeWorldBankoncommunity-basedresponses- Partnershipswithprotectionandrights-basedfocusedconsortiamembersonirregularand

secondarymigration,childprotectionandrightsofunaccompaniedminors.While supporting food security and nutrition systems leads to stronger adaptive or absorptivecapacities,promotingtransformativeandlonger-termdurablesolutionsisneededinthiscontext.


CreatingandFosteringLinkages(Externally)

Creating a proper coordinating body between stakeholders: Beyond preventing antagonisticconfrontationsandbuildingconsensus,acoordinatingbody isnecessarytopromotecoordinationandpolycentricgovernance/management/decision-makingprocessesandencourageinitiativesliketheLivelihoodWorkingGroup.

Supporting implementing agencies at the district/community level to support the wholemainstreaming and integrating programming: This is where the coordination between donorscouldalsoaddvalue–supportingintegrationcapacityatthetoplevel,mid-levelandatthedistrictlevel.

Developingdirectaccountabilityloopswithlocalcommunities:Community-basedapproachesarecrucial to ensure ownership, sustainability, conflict prevention and resolution andmust be fullyinvolvedinallphasesoftheprojectscycle.Donorsshouldensurethatallprojectstheyfundapplystrictparticipatoryandaccountabilityprincipleswithlocalcommunities.

Creating and fostering linkages (internally) to integrate livelihoods with YEP, micro loans andfoodsecurityinanoverallresilienceapproach:ThegoalistotakesuchsynergiesforwardtobuildaTheoryofChangeforResilienceinEthiopia,aspartofNRC’sgrowingfocusandworkonresilienceintheEastandHornofAfricaregion.

Integratedprogrammingwill alsoentail further integrationbetweencountryofficesandwith theregional office towork increasingly on cross-border initiatives as a key to unlocking solutions toresilienceanddurablesolutions.

In the medium term, identifying scalable programs will allow for better coordination acrosspartners.NRC’smentorshipefforts,cooperatives,youth-basedvocationaltrainingandmicroloansare successful programs that, if fine-tuned, can be scaled. The research identified a variety ofintegrated approaches and innovative synergies for replication and scaling in the short termandlongerterm.Theseinclude:

Thepersonaluseofmobiletechnologywaswidelycapturedthroughouttheareasassessedyet reportedly unexplored by actors for the implementation of aid. Despite this, themajority of key informants reported that the use ofmobile technologieswould increaseproject accountability and provide the community a more effective means to assessassistance and feedback. Whilst the use of mobile technology in Ethiopia presentschallenges such as ensuring connectivity it nonetheless offers NRC an interestingopportunity and potentially simple solution to scale. For example,mobile accountabilitymechanismscouldbeusedintheshorttermtoprovideNRCeffectivefeedbacksystemstomitigatechallengesinaccountabilitywithbeneficiaries.

NRCmustbuildonthegainsmadebythecommunitythroughtheinitiationofmentorshipinitiatives.There isan immediateopportunity fortheteamtoassessgraduates’abilitytolead skills trainings and to ensure that start-up kits have adequate provisions includingtraining materials to prompt such trainings. This should be linked to the ARRA-ledemploymentmappingandshouldbetakenintoconsiderationinprogrammeplanningasaneffectivemeans to scale. There is a clear space formentorship programming across the


camps.Studentscanbeencouragedtotrainotherstudents,set-upcertificateprogrammesandtakeonboardnon-beneficiaryyouthtotrain/apprenticethem.

Cooperatives have been more feasible with host communities due to their access tobanking. Other options to improve livelihood activities could entail market access forrefugees, which would allow special permission for refugees to sell their goods (undercertainconstraints) inhostcommunitymarkets.Anotheroption,currentlybeingexploredby NRC, IPs and ARRA in Shire is establishing markets within the camps in which YEPgraduates would be given space to operate businesses. The theory is that hostcommunitieswouldutilisethesecampmarketsduetotheperceivedskillsoftherefugeesand the lack of taxation on goods and services. However, in the restrictive policyenvironment,therearemajorfeasibilityissuesintheserespects.

Theopportunitytoscalevocationskillsprogrammingandmicro-loansisclear.However,itmust1)becoupledwithacomprehensivemarketassessmentlestitleadtomarketsaturationandmarketcompletionand2)bealignedwithintegratedprogramminginitiativesincluding:

• ChildprotectionandYEPwithunaccompaniedminorsasakeytargetgroupforYEP• Basicservicesinurbansettings• CrossborderprogrammingintheHornofAfricaandalignmentwiththedurablesolutions

agendaattheregionallevel.

In the short term, NRC can enable local ownership through government endorsement ofprogramming that centres on refugees through the host community. Thiswill provide a basis tosupportinformallocalintegrationwhilemeasuringtheeconomicimpactofrefugeesinEthiopiaatthelocallevel.Combiningoperationalandlearningagendaswillbethebasisforstronggovernmentengagement at the regional andnational levels.Enabling local ownershipwill become a key tobuildingtheevidencenecessaryforlonger-termsolutions.

Working with the Ethiopian government will draw a clearer line between the government andimplementingNGOsorconsortia.Caughtbetweennationalinternalpoliticalconflictsorconsideredas fund managers by local governmental counterparts, consortia and NGOs’, de facto, play apoliticalrolethatcanputtheirmandateandprojectsatrisk.

In the long-run, progressively strengthening government participation in the decision-makingprocesswill leadtocapacity-building,ownership,andinformationsharing,foratwo-waydialoguewithclearconditionalityandmilestones.

Rethinking the on-going strategies and programmes towards transformative capacity should bedonewiththethreeaspectsoflivelihoodstobepromotedinparallel.

The analytical framework can be expanded by including other regional and cross-borderdimensions. The issuesofmigration (internallydisplacedand refugees inneighbouring countries)and durable solutions cannot be excluded from long-term resilience approaches in Ethiopia,Somalia,Kenya,andEritrea.


ANNEX SECTION

ANNEX1:METHODOLOGY

Qualitativemethodsandtools

Inorder to conduct theassessment inEthiopia,anumberofqualitative toolsweredeveloped toaddresstheresearchquestionsoutlinedinSection1.Adetaildescriptionofeachtoolcanbefoundintheinceptionreport.

FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSIONS (9): A total of nine FGDs were conducted with the five groupsidentified in the targeting strategy. In order to get comparative qualitative data, a target of fiveFGDswassetforeachlocation.However,duetothechallengesnotedfourFGDswereconductedinDollo Ado. The interviews were conducted using open-ended questionnaires to explore theperceptionsoftargetedsub-segmentsofthelocalpopulationwithregardstoNRC’sprogramming,localsocio-economiccontexts,youth,education,resilience,socialcohesion,serviceavailabilityandexpectations.

As part of the FGD, aword association exercise, designed to explorehowparticipants associatespecificwordsthatarerelatedtokeyconceptsthatunderpinNRCprogramming,wasadministered.Theseincluded:

o Youth(MenIsey,Dhalinyaro)o Livelihoods(Menebabero,Habnodaleedka)o Resilience(AkemiMezai,Adkeysiga)ando Education(Timeherti,waxbarasho)

IneachsurveyedlocationNRCregionaloffices identifiedandpreparedthefocusgroupdiscussionteams prior to the fieldwork to reduce challenges of access. The open-ended focus groupquestionnairelastedapproximatelyanhourandahalf.BelowisabreakdownoftheFGDstructure:

Table2–FocusGroupDiscussionandwordassociationexercisegroups

DolloAdo • Beneficiaries• Non-beneficiaries• Businessleaders–refugeecommunityonly• RCC

Shire • Beneficiaries• Non-beneficiaries• Businessleaders–Refugeeandhostcommunity• RCC• Communityandlocalleaders


KEYINFORMANTINTERVIEWS(29;18Addis,3DolloAdoand8inShire)KeyinformantinterviewswereconductedatthenationalandlocallevelwithARRA,UNanddonorrepresentatives identified byNRC staff. The representatives provided informationon the currentsystems in each region, the challenges encountered as well as previous and current livelihoodsinterventions implemented by other actors.Moreover, the interviews outlined relationships andinteractionswithkey stakeholders in the interventions. Staffwerealso interviewed todeterminetheirlevelofinvolvement.Aspecifictargetof18keyinformantinterviewswassetforthisresearch;however,thankstotheavailabilityofstakeholders,atotalof29KIIswereconducted.

BENEFICIARYCASESTUDIES:(5;2inShire,2inDolloAdoand1inAddis)

CasestudieswereconductedineachfieldworklocationwithbeneficiariespurposefullyselectedbyNRCstafftoprovideadetailednarrativeontheimpactoflivelihoodsandeducationprogrammingonthebeneficiaries,theirfamiliesandthewidercommunity.

In addition, findings fromevaluations and internal reports commissioned, aswell as SamuelHallresearch conducted forNRCandkeymigration stakeholders in the region,will bepresentedandanalysedwiththefindingsgatheredfromthequalitativetools.


Samuel Hall is an independent think tankproviding research and strategic services, expertanalysis, tailored counsel and access to localknowledge foradiversearrayof actors operatingintheworld’smostchallengingenvironments.

Through a combinationof our rigorous approach,experienced staff and vast network, we havesuccessfully accessed complex settings fororganisations seeking to accurately gather dataandhaveapositiveimpactamongstcommunities.Using our academic background, we bringinnovativeandgame-changing insightsalongwithpracticalsolutionstoavarietyofsocial,economicandpoliticalissues.

Samuel Hall has offices in Afghanistan, Kenya,Somalia and Senegal, and a presence in France,Germany, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.We have worked with more than sixty-fiveorganizationsinCentral&SouthAsia,East&SouthAfricaandtheMiddleEast.

For more information, please visitwww.samuelhall.org.

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