Changes in subjective well-being, aspirations and expectations in participants of poverty alleviation programs: A qualitative analysis of Produciendo Por Mi Futuro in Colombia

This document presents the results of the qualitative analysis on the understanding of well-being
and  the  changes  in  life  satisfaction,  aspirations   and  expectations  in  the  participants  of  the  
Produciendo   por   mi   Futuro   program   in Colombia,   a   poverty-reduction   intervention   
implemented by Prosperidad Social, that is based on the graduation programs developed initially
by  the  BRAC  Development  Institute  of  Bangladesh.  The  qualitative  analysis  was  carried  out using the biographical method called Life Stories.  The results indicate that the conception of the wellbeing of the participants involves not only socioeconomic dimensions but also others such as  keeping  the  family  together  or  feeling  calm,  at  peace  or  happy.  The  frequency  with  which some elements associated with the notion of well- being are mentioned varies over time and this variation may be related to seasonal changes such as rain or drought, or school seasons, vacations or holidays, or with various shocks faced by th
e participants during the implementation of the program. Life satisfaction increased for the participants, although the increase was greater and more  sustained  in  participants  who  started  the program  with  lower  life  satisfaction  compared  with  their  peers.  The  aspirations  and  expectations  improved  for  most  of  the  participants; however,  it  was  found  that  expectations  increased  more  for  those  who  started  with  lower  wellbeing perceptions and expectations, who, in turn, were those who exhibited, relative to their
peers, a poverty dynamic with greater limitations  and worse socioeconomic conditions, at the beginning of the intervention.