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Pillar 04 / 04

Livelihoods & Economic Development

Building inclusive economies where growth reaches the margins.

Livelihoods & Economic Development
Overview

Economic recovery and growth programs succeed when they meet people where they actually work — in MSMEs, informal markets, women-led enterprises, and youth livelihoods. EAST designs and evaluates livelihoods programs that are technically rigorous and field-realistic, with particular depth in women's economic empowerment, youth pathways, and inclusion in fragile contexts.

The Challenge

Standard MSME and skills programs often fail at uptake — not because the technical content is wrong, but because design choices exclude the populations they aim to serve. Women cannot attend evening trainings, youth cannot afford unpaid apprenticeships, and informal traders cannot leave the stall for a week-long workshop.

Our Approach

A methodology calibrated to context.

Every engagement adapts the sequence to the political, fiscal, and operational reality on the ground.

  1. Stage 01

    Market & Livelihoods Diagnostic

    Market systems analysis, gendered value-chain mapping, and household-level livelihoods assessments to ground program design in what people actually do.

  2. Stage 02

    Inclusive Program Design

    Designing eligibility, timing, location, and incentive structures around the constraints of the target population — not around delivery convenience.

  3. Stage 03

    MSME & Finance

    Enterprise development, business advisory, and access-to-finance pathways tailored to the segment — micro, women-led, youth-led, displacement-affected.

  4. Stage 04

    Skills & Pathways

    Workforce-readiness and TVET design linked to actual employer demand, with embedded job-placement and follow-up.

  5. Stage 05

    Protection & Inclusion

    Safeguarding, GBV-sensitive delivery, and inclusion of displaced and marginalized groups built into every component.

Capabilities

What we bring to the engagement.

  • MSME development & advisory
  • Access-to-finance design
  • Education & skills (TVET) programs
  • Women's economic empowerment
  • Youth employment pathways
  • Protection & social inclusion
  • Market systems development
  • Livelihood resilience programming
Deliverables

What clients walk away with.

  • Livelihoods strategies
  • Market systems analyses
  • MSME / TVET program designs
  • GBV-sensitive operating procedures
  • Impact evaluations
  • Beneficiary tracking systems
Outcomes

Measurable signals from past engagements.

01 / 03InclusiveDesign rooted in gender & youth realities
02 / 03Field-testedProgram models in active delivery contexts
03 / 03Outcome-trackedBeneficiary outcomes monitored beyond outputs
Sectors Served
  • INGOs
  • Bilateral Donors
  • UN Agencies
  • Private Foundations
Related Projects

Engagement portfolio expanding — contact us for references on this practice.

Begin a Conversation

Discuss a livelihoods engagement with our advisory team.

Contact our advisory teamNext PillarGovernance & Institutional Development
EASTElite Advisory
Services Team

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Contact

Head office

Macalin Harun Road No 1, Hargeisa, Somaliland · Sub-office: Burao

Email

east.informsl@gmail.cominfo@east.com.so

Phone

+252 63 4436929+252 63 4279438

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