LIFT II

Duration: June 2011 - June 2014
Donor: United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)

In June 2011, Pact launched the LIFT II Program, a follow-on to the LIFT I Pyapone Integrated Livelihoods Project, funded by the UNOPS Livelihoods and Food Security Trust Fund (LIFT). The first stage of the LIFT project was developed in response to the extensive damage caused by Cyclone Nargis in May 2008 in the Delta region, impacting nearly one third of the population. The Pyapone Integrated Livelihoods Rehabilitation Project was designed to provide long-term relief and assistance to 2,500 households affected by the cyclone in Pyapone Township, one of the four townships most heavily affected by Nargis, by helping individuals to restart sustainable livelihoods activities, to save funds for future needs, and to prepare for potential future natural disasters.

The project provides one-time monetary assistance in the form of grants to help the poorest and most vulnerable households replace lost productive assets and restart pre-cyclone income generating activities. LIFT II works to rebuild the capacity of these communities to effectively respond to natural disasters and reduce the vulnerability of their livelihoods in the future. To further strengthen communities' resilience, LIFT II facilitates the establishment of community-led savings groups to promote the long-term practice of saving.

In 2011, Pact targeted 1,750 vulnerable households with normal loan services and 500 vulnerable and marginalized farmers with agricultural loan services. Interest income from loans disbursed in the first year of the project will be used to allow Pact to expand its services to additional beneficiaries by approximately 20 percent in years 2012 and 2013. An estimated total of 3,240 households (or a population of 16,200 people as household members) are expected to access credit over the course of the project.

The unique design of the project includes a focus on attaining sustainability in the long run in terms of services and delivery mechanisms. In general, the project is expected to become self-supporting in its field operational and management staff costs after one year from startup. It is anticipated that the project will achieve full financial self-reliance at the end of the three-year period.

Staff contacts

Sarah Sitts
Program Officer, Washington, DC
ssitts@pactworld.org