Sustainable Livelihoods

We promote the creation of quality jobs and income generating opportunities for the most marginalised groups, with the ultimate aim of helping them live worthy, autonomous lives.

We consider ‘fair and sustainable’ those job opportunities that are in line with international ethical principles of employment and provide adequate remuneration sufficient for workers to afford a respectable standard of living for themselves and their families.

Interview with Céline Yvon, Head of Programmes, for the Trafigura Foundation’s 10th anniversary book.

How would you define the concept of Sustainable Livelihoods?

By "Fair Employment” we mean the promotion of equal employment opportunities for some of society’s most marginalised members, for example people with disabilities, disenfranchised youth, small farmers – but also women, who, for myriad reasons, may face restricted access to the job market. By “Sustainable”, we mean jobs that are stable and enduring; because we believe that access to quality employment, underpinned by a decent wage and fair working conditions, is the cornerstone of a dignified life. Sustainable Livelihoods gives individuals a chance to be active contributors to society instead of trapping them as passive beneficiaries of social welfare. It means people can feed their children, send them to school, have access to proper medical care and plan for their future. In short, it’s about dignity and, as philanthropists, dignity is one of our core values.

Why was it chosen as a key area for the Foundation’s new strategy?

As the philanthropic arm of a successful company, we understand that economic growth is only meaningful when it serves humanity. A functional economy that actually provides fair and sustainable jobs is a means to a prosperous society, not just an end per se. Connecting the economic success of our founding company with the economic prosperity of our grant beneficiaries – the most vulnerable in particular – makes sense on both a philanthropic and strategic level.

Support for social entrepreneurs is a core focus of the Foundation. Why are these actors so important?

We support social entrepreneurs because of their innovative, results-oriented and businesslike mindset. Like us at the Foundation, they care deeply about tackling root causes of poverty and exclusion. They cultivate an obsession for their social impact, setting metrics to carry out meaningful assessments of progress.

Moreover, they experiment with new models to ensure that their solutions are durable, including financially speaking. That means building income-generating schemes that potentially embed economic viability into changemaking solutions. In sum, social entrepreneurs can be powerful allies to promote community-based development, with particular reference to the creation of sustainable livelihood jobs for the most marginalised people.