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Emergency employment projects present an opportunity to build partnerships that
strengthen local civil society while enhancing project performance. In some cases, an
NGO is the best choice for an implementing partner, and UNDP and/or the implementing
partner can provide guidance and support to local NGOs and CBOs that are potential
partners—by, for example, offering information and training on proposal preparation and
submission, rather than simply publishing a call for proposals. It is also useful for UNDP
and/or the implementing partner to provide participating NGOs/CBOs with simplified
operational manuals on the implementation of emergency employment schemes, including
formats for subproject submissions, monitoring and reporting, etc.
3.1.2 (i) Communication strategy
Expectations management is essential in all livelihoods stabilization programming. A clear
and viable communication strategy is needed from the start of project activities to ensure
that the expectations of participants, community members, government officials, donors,
and other partners and stakeholders are realistic. While emergency employment projects
should be linked to a longer-term vision, these projects are, in fact, designed to cover only
the short term. And it is the case that such projects will not run indefinitely or provide
long-term sources of income; depending on the available budget and the crisis context,
they usually operate for a period of six months or less. Moreover, these projects are not
meant to provide employment in the traditional sense, which would imply obligations such
as health benefits and security of employment. Misunderstandings that can arise in this
regard can entail substantive legal implications. Also, participants require clear expectations
vis-à-vis wage rates, how wages will be paid, and the nature of the facilities that will
be provided at the workplace (such as drinking water, latrines, first aid, and childcare). The
use of an effective communication strategy will make the temporary nature and other
limitations of the project clear to everyone involved, including the government and donors.
3.1.2 (j) Exit strategy
An exit strategy that provides a realistic path to sustainable outcomes should be part of
the project’s framework from the start. Linkages with microfinance institutions, training
institutions, private enterprises, private sector associations, business development services,
and interventions for policy and institutional development supported by UNDP and other
partners (Track B and C interventions) can help to improve the long-term employment
and income-generation prospects of the workers and their households. For example,
cash-for-work initiatives can be combined with skills and training apprenticeships, and
participants can be encouraged to save and establish credit with microfinance institutions.
The project’s exit strategy and communication strategy should be closely linked, so that
participants are encouraged to plan for the time when their emergency employment
arrangement ends. For large emergency employment projects, the exit strategy should
foresee a gradual phasing-out of project activities so that large numbers of workers are
Box 3.2. Cash-for-work in the Aceh Province of Indonesia following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami
The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 caused enormous livelihood losses in the Aceh Province of Indonesia. Six hundred thousand people—one quarter of
the population—lost their sources of livelihood in farming, fishing, and small businesses. To help restore livelihoods and facilitate cleanup and reconstruction,
UNDP supported a cash-for-work project that reached 162 villages, 20 sub-districts, five districts, and two cities in Aceh Province. Five NGOs—Project
Concern Indonesia, Mercy Corps Indonesia, Matahari Foundation (a local NGO), ALISEI, and Terre des Hommes, Italy—were involved in implementation. Nearly
30,000 people gained short-term employment in schemes that involved small-scale fisheries activities, rehabilitation of paddy fields, and livelihoods initiatives
designed specifically for disaster-affected women and children. The project was favourably evaluated, confirming the value of emergency employment
interventions in early recovery.
Livelihoods & Economic Recovery in Crisis Situations