Graduation Approach
The poorest and most vulnerable refugees need interventions specifically targeted to build their economic self-reliance. The Graduation Approach is a sequenced, multi-sector intervention that supports the poorest and most vulnerable households to achieve sustained income and move out of extreme poverty within a specified period.
Graduation programmes provide a comprehensive package that includes consumption assistance to meet basic needs, skills training, seed capital or employment opportunities to jump-start an economic activity, financial education and access to savings, and mentoring to build confidence and reinforce skills.
The approach was pioneered by BRAC in Bangladesh in 2002, and has been pilot tested and evaluated by CGAP and the Ford Foundation in eight countries. Over 15 country governments have integrated the Graduation Approach into their social protection and poverty alleviation policies and programmes.
Since 2013, our field teams and partners, with the support of Trickle Up, have implemented the Graduation Approach in six countries and positive outcomes have already been observed. In Costa Rica, refugees participating in the graduation program showed improved economic indicators – unemployment rates decreased from 36% to 4%, self-employment rates more than doubled from 24% to 59%, and as many as 79% of participating households reached a monthly income equal or greater to the national minimum wage upon graduation. In addition, 58% of participants thought their emotional wellbeing had improved.
At the heart of the Graduation Approach is strong coaching that enables a personalized response to individual needs. By building on our existing case management infrastructure, we are able to provide appropriate support to refugees at the right time, mitigating protection risks and ensuring continuity of their graduation process.
The above video is also available in French, Spanish and Arabic.
Graduation approach - resources
- Economic Inclusion of the Poorest Refugees
- CGAP and Ford Foundation (2014) From Extreme Poverty to Sustainable Livelihoods: A Technical Guide to the Graduation Approach
- BRAC (2015) PROPEL Toolkit: An Implementation Guide to the Ultra-Poor Graduation Approach
- "The Graduation Approach: the key to sustainable livelihoods for refugees in countries of first asylum?" - article om the Forced Migration Forum
- The International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth, 2017: Debating Graduation