CARE acknowledges that markets hold a significant power in playing a role in the creation of or combat against poverty. In conjunction to scaling up the VSLA methodology, CARE promotes economic growth opportunities through Value Chain Development and Market Access.
Value Chain encompasses a full range of interventions required to bring a product or a service from its inception to its end users, in a way that is competitive and beneficial to the vast majority of the poor and other actors in the chain. The Value Chain approach requires a systematic analysis of how a specific industry or sector work and how the improvement of its competitiveness can benefit the poor and the rest of the industry.
Market Access services are the area of highest demand by CARE target groups. The types of programs working in market access cover a wide variety of activities including: market research to identify appropriate markets and access means of transportation to and from markets; vendor fairs; and coordination with other projects to build roads that reach marketplaces.
Our work in Vale Chain is aimed at helping the poorest of the poor and the most vulnerable and rural populations by assisting them in creating dignified employment and a sustainable income stream that will contribute to their empowerment.