Graduation with resilience to achieve sustainable development (GRAD) activity : final performance evaluation

A mixed methods approach was used by the evaluators and involved secondary data review, household survey, key informant interviews (KIIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs). The results show that by the end of participation in GRAD: (1) nearly 80% graduated from the government's food support program; (2) average household income increased from $418 to $771; and (3) average household savings increased from $12 to $141. GRAD created village economic savings associations (VESA) to promote savings and improve access to loans. In conclusion, GRAD strengthened households' ability to cope with climate change by improving financial safety nets and inputs availability. The activity contributed to: (1) increasing household incomes; (2) creating a platform for addressing gender issues, which helped to advance gender equity and women's empowerment; and (3) supported improvement of families' nutritional awareness and dietary practices.