Excitement over the potential for the Graduation Approach to create sustained and transformative change for extremely poor women, their households and their communities, has only increased in recent years. So has the number of studies and innovations aimed at building evidence and enhancing the impact of the approach.

Join us for a unique learning event at which we will have the opportunity to dive into a fascinating USAID funded project, Graduating to Resilience, and see the data and results from the first cohort of 6,000 extremely poor refugee and Ugandan households as they walked the pathway of sequenced, time bound and multifacted integrated activities guided by their coaches and with peer and community support. Hint: even with the disruption caused by COVID, these women and their families have achieved amazing things!

We will hear from and interact with the implementers—AVSI Foundation, with partners Trickle Up and American Institutes for Reserch — who will share monitoring results including the customized Graduation Critiera measurements, and the external evalulator—Innovations for Poverty Action—with findings from the randomized control trial (RCT) impact evaluation and cost-benefit analysis. A range of experts from USAID and other esteemed institutions working on economic inclusion programs and related research will complement the presentations with their insights.

This Learning Summit is the culmination of the process of reflection and data-driven decision making, a key feature of BHA’s “Refine and Implement” approach to Colloboration, Learning and Adaptation (CLA). Results from Cohort 1 have been used to inform the design of Cohort 2 and to adapt the Learning Agenda to meet real needs in the evidence base around the Graduation Approach. 

Participation from a wide range of practioners, researchers, donors and policy makers is encouraged and expected. Come ready to interact and contribute your own insights to the discussion!

You will hear about:

• Cutting-edge research on Graduation Approach program design elements
• Adaptation of Graduation Approach for food security and nutrition outcomes
• The role of Coaching and the experiment of individual vs group coaching
• Effectiveness of Graduation Approach for refugees as compared to hosts
• Gender dynamics and related learning
• Cost-benefit analysis of the Graduation Approach
• Measurement techniques for graduation outcomes and resilience
• Adaptive management during COVID-19
• Reflections on scalabiltiy and digitalization
• Learning agenda for future iteration of the program – Cohort 2 design

You will hear from and network with:

• Implementing team: AVSI, Trickle Up, AIR
• Evaluation team: IPA
• Donor: USAID BHA
• Other experts from Partnership on Economic Inclusion (PEI), CGAP, BRAC, and others

The Learning Summit will be conducted with a hybrid modality, allowing for a limited number of in-person participants in Washington, DC and others to connect on-line.

Moderator: 

Teresa Mastrangelo, Executive and Team Coach

Presenters: 

Rita Larok, Chief of Party, Graduating to Resilience Activity

John Paul Nyeko, Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor, Graduating to Resilience Activity

Robinah Nannungi, Food Security and Nutrition Advisor, Graduating to Resilience Activity

Innocent Cwinyai, Deputy Chief of Party, Graduating to Resilience, AVSI Foundation

Lasse Brune, Professor, Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)

Nathanael Goldberg, Director, Sector Programs, Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)

Rose Wilder, Former Trickle Up Technical Advisor

Speakers: 

Arif Rashid, Acting Division Chief, DMEAL, USAID-BHA

Glynnis Melnicove, MEL Specialist, AIR

Beza Tesfaye, Director of Research and Learning, Mercy Corps

Sarang Chaudhary, Social Protection Economist, World Bank

Eric Green, Associate Professor, Duke University

Elizabeth Bontrager, Nutrition Team Lead, USAID-BHA

Dean Karlan, President and Founder, Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)

Jami Montgomery, Acting Director for the Center for Resilience, USAID

Please note that the views or opinions expressed by guest speakers are solely their own and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of SID-Washington. 

Registration will close at 4:00 PM on Friday, June 17, 2022. Event details will be sent to all registered participants shortly thereafter.