Providing Youth Access to Economic Opportunities

Tales of Change National Poverty Graduation Programme

Providing Youth Access to Economic Opportunities Ghulam Murtaza’s family en route to graduate out of poverty.

26 years old Ghulam Murtaza is a resident of revenue village Rakh Choubara Janubi, union council Chaoubara, district Layyah of Punjab province. His father was a daily wage worker and used to earn a modest daily income of PKR 500. With growing age, his father had developed medical conditions which obstruct him to engage in extensive physical work. His family was receiving unconditional cash transfers in the name of his mother under the Benazir Income Support Programme, which was not sufficient for a family of seven members.

At his barbershop, Ghulam Murtaza is cutting hairs using tools and supplies provided under IFAD-funded NPGP. PHOTO: NRSP, PPAF’s partner organization in Punjab

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Through the support of IFAD, I have upscaled my barber business. With improved services, the clientele has grown so does our monthly income. We have enough money to have appropriate food and savings to deal with emergencies. ~Ghulam Murtaza

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“Considering the medical conditions and old age, I was not allowing my father to leave the house for work. We had seen days we had nothing to eat all day. I knew that to help my family survive I had to engage my skills, but lack of financing was a big challenge in establishing a business”, shared Murtaza.

In the past, Murtaza built up experience working in a friend’s barbershop which gave him a great foundation of what it’s like to work in a barbershop. To support the family in meeting daily expenses, he opened his small rudimentary barber business in the neighborhood.

Under the Government of Pakistan’s flagship Ehsaas Amdan and National Poverty Graduation Programme (NPGP) funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) is enabling the rural poor and especially youngsters like Murtaza to realize their development potential and attain a higher level of social and economic wellbeing through a proven flexible and responsive menu of assistance.

In 2020, PPAF’s partner organization National Rural Support Programme (NRSP) started revitalizing existing community institutions in district Layyah. NRSP team identified Murtaza’s family as ultra-poor through a

baseline poverty scorecard (PSC) survey. His family’s PSC was 12. During the development of the Livelihood Investment Plan which offers a range of assistance depending upon eligible family’s circumstances and capabilities, the family expressed their interest in expanding services being offered at Murtaza’s barbershop. The village procurement committee procured necessary tools and supplies (barber chairs, looking mirrors, disinfectants, neck safe, shears, razors, combs, shaving kits, brushes, talc powder, barber apron, towels, etc.) worth PKR 50,000 and transferred those to the family.

“Through the support of IFAD, I have upscaled my barber business. With improved services, the clientele has grown so does our monthly income. We have enough money to have appropriate food and savings to deal with emergencies.” shared Murtaza happily.

The family’s daily income raised from PKR 500 to PKR 1200. Within two months Murtaza purchased new gadgets like clippers and trimmers on the client’s demand. In the future, Murtaza has plans to learn new skills and convert his barbershop into a full-fledged men’s salon for improved customer experience.

In 2020, Gulam Murtaza’s family received tools and supplies for his barbershop through IFAD-funded NPGP. PHOTO: NRSP, PPAF’s partner organization in Punjab

NRSP team will provide basic business/asset management and financial literacy training to Ghulam Murtaza which will help him in expanding his livelihood sustainably and ultimately to graduate his family out of poverty.

Murtaza’s family is one of the thousands of families who have benefited from the IFAD-supported NPGP programme and are en route to poverty graduation.

The programme aims to provide the ultra-poor segment of the population (poverty scorecard of 0 to 18) with a combination of safety nets combined with livelihood interventions and training. The process involves initial grant-based productive asset provision, skill development, and asset management training, and linkage with the government’s interest-free loan schemes (poverty scorecard of 12 to 40) to expand their businesses.

District Layyah, Punjab

The success story presented above is based on anecdotal evidence.

For more information, visit the programme website:

www.ppaf.org.pk/NPGP/

The above map highlights the targeted district in Punjab province.