Joint Programme on poverty reduction in San Pedro region

Poverty in San Pedro 

The population in the San Pedro region of Côte d’Ivoire more than tripled in the past 25 years because of migration. Yet the post-electoral crisis of 2010-11 and the decline in public investments severely impacted job-creation and opportunities for the soaring population.

The programme

The SDG Fund joint programme seeks to create economic and job opportunities for vulnerable groups, especially women and youth, through productive income generating activities and local entrepreneurship promotion. It is working to ensure food security and improve nutrition in the poorest households. Also, it aims to improve access for vulnerable groups to information on their rights and legal assistance for better social and economic integration.

The approach

The programme achieves its goals through:

• Trainings on gender, human rights, inclusive local planning, and income generation for central and local authorities, local leaders, men and women, and the private sector
• Advocacy, training, and study on rural land tenure and gender
• Providing access to legal information and individualized counseling through a legal clinic and its community network
• Supporting school canteens through strengthening abilities of women and youth in literacy, production techniques, and simplified management
• Facilitating the networking of 50 women from women's production groups around a leadership training and cooperative management programme
• Income generation activities to young girls who have dropped out of school
• Revitalizing the Training and Female Education Institutions (IFEF) of San Pedro and Tabou for the insertion of professional young girls out of school
• Organizing sessions to share experiences with other regions of Cote d’Ivoire