Advocacy

EEP’s advocacy strategy was about catalysing change in policy and practice to improve the lives of the extreme poor through quiet diplomacy, rather than overt campaigning.  This strategy was an integral component of the programme itself, aimed at increasing the impact, outreach and sustainability of shiree partner interventions.

Extremely poor people have suffered high degrees of chronic and severe deprivation. Their low income is linked to societal exclusion as well as a lack of employment and secured shelter, low calorific intake, low literacy-rates, inaccessibility to credit and social safety nets and low community involvement and decision-making. Women, the elderly, the disabled and minority groups are disproportionately high among the extreme poor. These people are not in a position to advocate for citizen rights, basic services or support from stakeholders. They are not in a position to advocate for resources or actions to improve their conditions. They need others to help raise their voices.

Goals

To reduce extreme poverty through better practice & policy.

• Increase impact and sustainability of partner projects by:
  • fostering dialogue and collaboration between partner NGOs
  • improving project implementation through learning, sharing of successful models & research findings
  • facilitating partnerships with other stakeholders
• Mobilise policy reform and GoB support on local and national levels
• Inspire and enable all other stakeholders to act against extreme poverty: civil society, private sector, think tanks, donors, media, etc.
• Facilitate the capture and dissemination of knowledge & learning to increase the understanding of extreme poverty