With higher cost of living and little access to arable land, ultra poor households in urban areas face very different obstacles than their rural counterparts. To respond to these needs, in 2009 Hyderabad-based Kriti Social Initiatives joined the Sorenson-Unitus Ultra Poor Initiative to pilot a program that paired livelihood development with cost-effective provision of basic services. Unitus Labs is proud to release today the findings of that program in a case study outlining insights for practitioners working with the urban ultra poor.
The study identifies both challenges and successes associated with livelihoods-led ultra poor interventions, specifically understanding the priorities and capabilities of the ultra poor as producers. Despite their position at the very bottom of the economic pyramid, women living in extreme poverty continue to make calculated decisions about the value of their time in generating income for their households. The individual occupations that were the most successful were those structured to best complement their current responsibilities and allowed them to meet their financial obligations.