Economic Inclusion Project
Cooperative Development Organisation
Implementing Partners and Organisations
Period of Implementation
Geographic scope
Americas: Ecuador, Peru
Cities: Peru (Arequipa, Ica, Lima/Callao, Piura and Trujillo); Ecuador (Cuenca, Guayaquil, Ibarra, Manta and Quito)
Budget
Donor(s)
Bilateral Aid: USAID
Sector(s)
Type of Activity
Summary
EIP and its network of more than 60 partners and allies promote the socioeconomic inclusion of the migrant and refugee population as well as local host populations in Peru and Ecuador. Since June 2020, EIP has supported 19,811 beneficiaries, 72% of whom are women, to promote new or better employment or entrepreneurship opportunities. Additionally, EIP has supported 4,038 Venezuelan professionals to recognize their foreign titles in their host countries. Additionally, EIP has supported 181,117 individuals, 54% of whom are women, to access financial services. EIP works with 15 financial partners who have issued 18,280 loans to project beneficiaries, for a total of over $19.2 million. 49% of individuals financially included are youth between the ages of 18-35 years and 31% are youth between the ages of 18-29 years, demonstrating the success of the project in reaching youth through effectively leveraging digital tools and strategies for promoting access to and use of financial services. EIP has also supported financial education and financial literacy training for 24,849 individuals over the life of the project. Additionally, EIP has provided 958 individuals with GBV services, through the project’s methodology designed to encourage psychological stabilization, financial independence, and economic autonomy through the development of a life plan to empower survivors to break the cycle of violence.
Project Objectives
The project is designed to improve socioeconomic security for Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Peru and Ecuador, as well as for the members of the local communities they inhabit. Specifically, EIP has three objectives: support and strengthen new and existing entrepreneurs, facilitate access to employment, and increase access to financial services and products. Additionally, EIP delivers critical GBV prevention and accompaniment and embraces USAID’s commitment to localization, integrating capacity-building efforts to strengthen the organizational capacities of local partners. EIP also incorporates gender inclusion, youth, and climate change adaptation as cross-cutting components in its activities.
Impact on SDGs
Main Indicators
2. Number of Venezuelan migrants and locals with increased earnings as a result of the intervention
3. Number of Venezuelan migrants with revalidated/recognized technical or professional certifications
4. Percent of USG-assisted organizations with improved performance
Impact Measurement
EIP carries out annual internal evaluations, surveying project beneficiaries to measure changes in outcome indicators, examine changes in attitudes and perceptions, and collect feedback from participants on satisfaction with EIP activities to provide insights into the scope, depth, and breadth of impact achieved.
Additionally, in 2024, EIP conducted an Integration Study of Venezuelan Migrants and Refugees to measure the integration of the migrant and refugee population supported by the project from a multidimensional perspective in order to highlight project impact among this target population. For this study, EIP applied the methodology developed by Standford University’s Immigration Policy Lab (IPL), surveying both EIP beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries (control group) in Peru and Ecuador.
Additionally, USAID contracted an external firm to conduct an external evaluation of the project’s first phase of implementation (2020-2023).
Direct beneficiaries
Organisations: 295
Individuals: 268200