Ultra Poverty Graduation - World Vision - Ultra Poverty Graduation in Georgia Ultra Poverty Graduation - World Vision The contribution regards project support to the project "Supporting poverty alleviation in Georgia through Ultra Poor Graduation " The project aims to reduce extreme poverty in Georgia by developing and strengthening the Georgian state capacity to combat extreme poverty. The capacity development will be carried out through a pilot project where 780 extremely poor households are supported through the Ultra Poverty Graduation (UPG) model. The UPG model is a tested holistic approach to supporting extremely poor households to get out of poverty with sustainable sources of income and secure access to food. The pilot project will be carried out in collaboration with relevant ministries and authorities, that at the end of the project are expected to integrate and scale up the approach as part of the national state's long-term poverty reduction. As the project specifically addresses the exclusion of certain social groups such as internally displaced persons, migrants and ethnic and religious minorities, and thereby contributing to reducing conflict tensions between different social groups in Georgia, it is also considered to contribute with a conflict preventing approach. Insatsen är ett projektstöd till projektet ”Supporting poverty alleviation in Georgia through Ultra Poor Graduation ” Projektet syftar till att minska extrem fattigdom i Georgien genom att utveckla och stärka den georgiska statens kapacitet att bekämpa extrem fattigdom. Kapacitetsutvecklingen kommer att genomföras genom ett pilotprojekt där 780 extremt fattiga hushåll stödjs genom Ultra Poverty Graduation (UPG) modellen. UPG modellen är en testad holistisk ansats för att stödja extremt fattiga hushåll att ta sig ur fattigdom med hållbara inkomstkällor och säker tillgång till mat. Pilotprojektet kommer genomföras i samarbete med relevanta ministerier och myndigheter, som vid projektets slut förväntas integrera och skala upp ansatsen som en del av den nationella statliga långsiktiga fattigdomsbekämpningen. Då insatsen särskilt adresserar exkludering av vissa sociala grupper som t.ex. internflyktingar, migranter samt etniska och religiösa minoriteter förväntas den även bidra till att minska konfliktspänningar mellan olika sociala grupper i Georgien och på så vis även bidra till att förebygga konflikter i samhället. The overall objective is to contribute to reducing poverty and increase the resilience of ultra-poor households in 5 regions in Georgia and encourage their active participation in socio-economic life through the incorporation of ultra-poor graduation (UPG) principles and measures into national and sub national programs/schemes in support of the poverty reduction efforts of the Government of Georgia. This through work aimed to lead to the following two outcomes:

1) Through the implementation of the UPG Model, ultra-poor Households have improved socio-economic inclusion, resilience and technical skills, knowledge and capacities to access existing social/financial services and markets and to participate in community structures and networks.

2) Governmental agencies at national and municipal levels have strengthened capacities and structures to promote UPG in Georgia through the establishment of an UPG knowledge pool and adapted UPG-model approaches for the Georgian context. 

The Ultra-Poor Graduation approach is a holistic approach to identify the most destitute households and support them out of poverty. It guides households step-by-step from poverty to self-reliance. The approach has four components/pillars:

Social protection: preventive and protective mechanisms to support basic income security such as consumption support, crisis relief, and access to health and education.

Livelihoods promotion: regular and diverse income streams for households to support consumption, asset accumulation, and economic empowerment, especially for women. Interventions include asset or cash transfers for a viable livelihood or linkages to formal employment, technical and business skills training, and access to markets

Financial inclusion: provides improved income and risk management and financial empowerment of all adult family members  male and female. Interventions typically include access to formal or informal savings facilities, credit and insurance mechanisms, accompanied by financial literacy training.

Social empowerment: equips families with a more confident mindset and promotes community inclusion and positive behaviour change. Interventions include life skills training, social integration, and coaching that cut across all four pillars, underpinned by a commitment to gender equality.