What Works for Africa's Poorest? ― Poverty Reduction Programmes for Extremely Poor People

Despite some excellent progress towards poverty reduction elsewhere in the world, many parts of Africa lag behind in the decline in absolute and relative poverty. Over the last decade there has been an increased awareness that the poorest people – the extremely poor and the chronic poor – rarely benefit from poverty reduction programs, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. This has been particularly observed with microfinance programs. Well-designed microfinance can help poor people improve their lives but generally such programs do not reach the poorest – casual laborers in remote rural areas, ethnic and indigenous minorities, older people, widows, migrants, bonded laborers and others. As a result, NGOs and donors have started to mount programs explicitly targeting the extreme poor, the poorest and the ultra-poor. This book examines such initiatives and identifies "what works for the poorest" in Africa. The book contains country-specific case studies combined with cross-country analyses of important programs.