Extreme poverty, exacerbated by the social and economic impact of war, can create precisely the framework conducive to renewed violence.

The International Rescue Committee helps people recover and rebuild their livelihoods, their way of making a sustainable living. Alongside this we work to develop communities' abilities to support economic activity.

Vocational Training in Afghanistan

Before joining the training I was jobless and for some time worked as a casual worker, earning a very small income, not enough to cover my own expenses. It has been two months since I opened my own workshop. I am very happy that it is enough for my family expenses during the month.—Ghulam, 20

Following an extensive labour market survey in 2003, the IRC designed and implemented a highly successful vocational training programme benefitting 8,700 vulnerable Afghans (including unemployed men and women, young former combatants and disabled persons) over four years. In 2006 and 2007, a further 4,930 Afghans benefited from vocational training.

Working through local partners, training also included literacy and numeracy education, and business skills training for those interested in entrepreneurship. All participants were also provided with toolkits, start-up kits or livestock in order to ensure sustainability.

Agricultural Economic Recovery in the North Caucasus

The IRC started economic recovery work in the Northern Caucasus in spring 2006.

In Chechnya and Dagestan, the IRC works with farmers and other members of local agricultural economies to form community-level groups to develop agricultural plans to contribute to the revitalisation of local economies and strengthen social cohesion.

The work also aims to link communities to a variety of state, international and business stakeholders to expand economic activity at the grassroots level.

Supporting Women and Girls in Burundi, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Cote d’Ivoire

In 2007, the IRC began working with communities in Burundi to develop village savings and credit groups as a means to provide access to finance and resources, primarily for women.

Discussion groups, including women and men, discuss how finances are managed in the household. As well as improving access to finances for women the scheme also hopes to contribute to decreasing violence against women in the household.

As part of a five-year plan for improving the contribution women and girls can make to rebuilding, the IRC is rolling out its economic strategy in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Cote d’Ivoire, with a primary focus on women who experienced sexual or domestic violence.

The programme is addressing women’s empowerment in terms of skills training and capacity building in marketable trades and business enterprises such as cassava and rice processing.