Lessons Learned From Sequenced, Integrated Strategies of Economic Strengthening of the Poorest (Event Resources)

Negotiating your way out of poverty is like a life-long or even intergenerational challenge, where any small movement out of poverty can be undone by an illness in the family or a natural disaster. Many of the tools of pro-poor economic growth are meant to help prevent a family from going down, soften the blow from setbacks or even provide ways out of poverty. Ultra-poor households, however, are usually incapable of even meeting life’s basic necessities – they lack productive assets of any kind and are too vulnerable to gainfully participate in markets.

Three leading practitioners and thought leaders highlight lessons learned from innovative practices and research that support ultra-poor households in transitioning from meeting basic needs (especially food security) towards economic self-reliance. These examples show that sequenced interventions can put the poorest on sustainable pathways out of extreme poverty.