Livelihood Programs for Low-Income Communities

Livelihood opportunity programs are community-based programs designed to help low-income families start their own small businesses. The programs are designed not only to provide service or donate materials but they are also designed to empower and encourage local communities to take pride in their work, to be self-sufficient and to provide for themselves. Below are two specific livelihood opportunity programs that empower communities with their work.

Resources for the Blind, Inc's Livelihood Programs-This organization sets up livelihood programs in order to help develop livelihood projects for rural blind adults. Small capital loans are made to help set up businesses, often in the home of the blind person. Successful projects have included small convenience stores, milk fish smoking, hog raising, and rice buying.

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC Livelihood Project)- The ICRC is a Swiss-based humanitarian organization and founding member of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (1863). The ICRC is mandated by the international community to be the guardian and promoter of international, humanitarian law. One of the ICRC's projects is the provisions of livelihood projects in Northern Uganda. In March 2008, about 71,000 households at 111 sites (mother camps, transit sites and villages of origin) in Kitgum, Pader, Amuru and Gulu districts, received an agricultural package aimed at providing them the opportunity to earn from cash, food and staple crops of their choice.

Apart from large-scale promotional campaigns, small print materials are also utilized by these organizations to promote support and sponsorship for their livelihood programs. Examples of these printed promotional materials include brochures, booklets, flyers, newsletters and posters on their program packages. Printed materials are convenient and affordable materials that can be obtained by availing the services online printing companies. Print orders can be facilitated via their websites. Uprinting, for example is an online printing company that provides reliable and reasonably priced printing services with maintained pages even on popular media sites such as YouTube and small business lending site Kiva.

For more resource information on Uprinting, Visit Uprinting.com