National Level Foundation Program - Principles of Livelihoods Enhancement

Akshara Network for Development Support Services, a non-for-profit development support organization, is initiated by practicing development management professionals to provide affordable and timely professional support to organizations, entrepreneurs and individuals. Its agenda is to ‘professionalise the management of development efforts in general and the efforts for enhancing the livelihoods of the poor in particular, by various individuals and agencies’.

Specifically Gurukulam aims to:
1.     Provide fresh professionals for the development efforts in general and for enhancing livelihoods of the poor in particular;
2.     Build the competencies in terms of knowledge, skills and motivation of the existing human resources including the poor themselves, the professionals and support functionaries in governmental and civil society development organisations engaged in the development efforts; and
3.     Offer a variety of platforms and opportunities for improving their professional competencies and fostering requisite value orientation.

Principles of Livelihoods Enhancement: The field of livelihoods is as challenging as it has been since last 50 years. To understand it, large organizations World over have developed various frameworks. Also, planning interventions that result into benefit to rural households require understanding of basic principles like demand/market orientation, developing existing and alternate livelihoods etc. In this context, this program aims at exposing to the concept and giving in-depth knowledge of principles and practices for enhancing livelihoods and quality of life of the rural poor. Thus the objectives are:
1.     To expose to the various frameworks for understanding livelihoods.
2.     To provide insight into the basic principles to be followed for enhancing livelihoods of poor and evolving livelihood interventions.
3.     To understand the various support systems required, stakeholders/players and their roles in the development of rural livelihoods.
4.     To familiarize with the tools for rural livelihoods analysis and development of micro plans.
5.     To discuss the way forward for rural livelihoods enhancement

Participants: Key decision makers especially those will be involved in designing livelihood programs for rural poor. Expected participants are heads of non-governmental organizations, government functionaries directly involved in implementation, people representatives with an orientation to support, professionals from various foundations/donors/corporate organizations, freelance development professionals with an interest in rural livelihood promotion.

Course Details:
Dates     7th to 10th July-2004(4 Days)
Venue     St.John’s Regional Seminary,
besides Ramanthapur Church,
Opp. Parke-Davis, Ramanthapur,
Hyderabad.
Phone: 040- 27201427, 27200370

Program Cost
The Foundation Program costs - Rs 5000.00 per participant (includes cost of food, accommodation, material and program resource fee) for confirmations done before 30th June 2004.
Rs.5,500.00 per participant.

For details contact:
GV Krishnagopal,
Program Coordinator
HIG - II B-15, F-8, APHB Colony,
Baghlingampally, Hyderabad - 500 044
Mb: 9885443006/1/2/3
e-mail -gvkgopal@rediffmail.com,
aksharanet@yahoo.com