Heather Rena Hughes
Published: 2006
Total Pages: 148
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The Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF) has slowly emerged over the last twenty years as a response to a call for more sustainable development and effective steps toward poverty alleviation. SLF emphasizes the importance of a sustainable livelihood, using the resources to which one has access, and recognizing the vulnerabilities, policy, and other forces that may affect livelihood security, while striving to achieve the outcomes local people seek. This framework has been applied amply to poverty reduction efforts in Africa and Asia, but very llittle of it has been seen in Latin America. NGOs play a crucial role in implementing and utilizing the framework in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in poverty reduction as laid out by the UN. This thesis analyzes rural development NGOs' goals, principles and methodologies in Peru, comparing them to SLF for similarities and differences in current approaches. Using a three phase process of individual interviews, a presentation on SLF, and follow-up group interviews for each of 12 NGOs, data was collected on current practices and NGO opinion of the possibilities of utility of the framework in their work of poverty reduction in Peru, as well as their perception on donor agency influence on their projects and methodologies. The study found that NGOs in Peru are using many elements of SLF, including the goals, principles, and capitals component. These elements are present in the NGOs, but are not being applied as holistically as the framework suggests. Methodologies differ in that SLF focuses on analysis, while the NGOs tend to focus on technology transfer. Donors do have influence on methods and projects, and it would be beneficial for donors to contribute to NGO learning of SLF. Overall, NGOs expressed interest in learning more about SLF for possible implementation, and stated it would be useful for their work in poverty reduction.