This October I went to Andra Pradesh and West Bengal for SKS and Trickle Up graduation parties. The CGAP-Ford Foundation Graduation Pilots were launched in 2007 in both sites. After two years of training, handholding, taking on new economic activities,  diligently saving each week, and facing innumerable challenges, most of the pilot participants successfully graduated from the ranks of the poorest.  And though they all recognized the vulnerable situation they were still in, and how far they still needed to go, all they wanted to do on that special day, was celebrate.

The SKS Graduation Pilot had their celebration on the October 14, 2009, at Narayankhed, about three hours from Hyderabad.  There were 109 women there; the third group to graduate. SKS had selected 426 women for the pilot by carefully identifying poor villages, conducting village level participatory wealth rankings, and conducting household surveys.Staff selected a preliminary list of women and senior managers verified the final list. Participants were trained in raising livestock and poultry or in commercially growing vegetables or non-farm enterprises (petty trading, shops). They received financial education and became active savers. They received health messages and were linked to government health services.  SKS has already graduated 360 participants and expects after the fourth batch to have only 12 that will not graduate. SKS gave each of the graduates a clock—a great gift since  a clock in the house represents status and graduation from a state where time had no meaning and participants were  always frantically trying to make ends meet.

The Trickle Up Graduation Pilot works with a local NGO, Human Development Center (HDC).  With strong Trickle Up supervision, HDC selected 300 women who were amongst the poorest in the district of South 24 Parganas in West Bengal. Women received training, a consumption stipend, and a livelihood asset. Unlike SKS, Trickle Up relied on the SHG methodology for financial services, both savings and credit. The women faced major challenges from the beginning. The bird flu meant that many of the poultry had to be culled and disease killed many of the goats. Floods and other natural calamities also took their toll. In fact this summer a severe cyclone (Aila) destroyed homes and livelihoods. And yet 258 out of 300 women graduated from the program—they had assets worth US$150, savings over $20, and diversified sources of earnings. They were also active in their SHGs, had  basic knowledge of sanitation and hygiene, and were aware of the availability of government programs they could benefit from.

Trickle Up held their graduation celebration on October 15, 2009,  at a location about 90 minutes travel from Calcutta. Participants from different villages arrived in groups carrying banners and shouting slogans for economic and social rights. Everyone was dressed in their finest.  There were very few speeches but  the women spoke, and sang and danced for hours— even Muslim women who used to never venture out of their homes.

Two major lessons came out of these pilot programs.  SKS had originally planned for an 18 month program. But they now realize that the program needs to continue for 24 months to ensure that participants are more resilient, more confident, and have a stronger economic base.  This is the time taken by most of the other Graduation Pilots. Trickle Up realized the need to better plan the livelihoods and provide for expert advice.  Many of the goats that died early on could have been saved through early interventions—such as keeping goats on elevated platforms rather than on the ground during the rainy season.

Both SKS and Trickle Up are seriously planning for a scaled up phase. Trickle Up intends to expand to Bihar and SKS to Orissa.