The Livelihoods and Food Security Technical Assistance II (LIFT II) project developed a three-part technical note series focusing on economic strengthening interventions. Written as a result of needs identified during affiliated trainings and meetings, this series of practitioner-oriented briefs discusses how to improve the economic resilience and food security of vulnerable households, especially those affected by HIV and AIDS. The series is organized along the provision-protection-promotion continuum of household economic vulnerability.

• Cash transfer and voucher programs (provision)
  Cash transfers help reduce inequality, the depth or severity of poverty and chronic food insecurity.
• Savings groups (protection)
  Savings groups provide access to financial services, support financial literacy, increase social capital, improve gender relations and promote women’s leadership.
• Enterprise development through value chains (promotion)
  Better engagement in value chains can help low-income households get the most from their entrepreneurial efforts by facilitating better quality and more equitable links with suppliers and buyers.

Each set of briefs demonstrates how the intervention works, the potential benefits and good practices of the intervention and the key considerations for design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. In addition, the cash transfer and savings groups sets present the existing evidence base for linking these two interventions to the health sector. Users, including those less familiar with economic strengthening, can apply each set with stakeholders such as local government officials, program designers and implementers, and local nongovernmental and community groups.

These resources help teams work at a systems level toward the 90-90-90 global targets promoted by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR): By 2020, 90 percent of all people living with HIV will know their HIV status, 90 percent of all people with diagnosed HIV infection will receive sustained antiretroviral therapy, and 90 percent of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy will have viral suppression.

There are recurrent barriers of HIV care uptake and retention, including transportation costs, food shortages and an inability to take time away from work or other responsibilities. As illustrated in the infographic, economic strengthening interventions, including this technical notes series, represent a promising way to help households affected by HIV and AIDS overcome barriers to care and improve results along the HIV treatment cascade. 

Source: FHI 360.