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Belize’s Co-responsibility Cash Transfer Program

Belize’s Co-responsibility Cash Transfer Program. B uilding O pportunities for O ur S ocial T ransformation. name. BOOST – Program Objectives. A C onditional C ash T ransfer program Two broad aims: immediate poverty reduction through a small, but regular cash payment

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Belize’s Co-responsibility Cash Transfer Program

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  1. Belize’s Co-responsibilityCash Transfer Program Building Opportunities forOur Social Transformation name

  2. BOOST – Program Objectives • A Conditional Cash Transfer program • Two broad aims: • immediate poverty reduction through a small, but regular cash payment • break family’s cycle of poverty through human development of children

  3. BOOST – What is it? • There 4 outcomes we can measure: • 1.Short term service use • attendance at school • number of health centre visits • 2.Final Outcomes • educational attainment • improved health

  4. BOOST – What is it? • There 4 outcomes we can measure: • 3.Short term HH welfare • family income and expenditures • 4. Long term HH welfare • child’s future income/wealth • mental well-being / happiness

  5. BOOST – Design Details • Aimed at five groups of individuals: • Women who are pregnant • Children 0-4 • School children (Infant I – Form IV) • Elderly (over 60 years of age) • Physically disabled • Each group has to meet criteria for payments

  6. BOOST Features: Compliance • Children: 0-4 follow Ministry of Health’s vaccination and health check calendar • Children: 5-14 and 15-18 attend 85% of school • Non-compliance: 1st month – half payment • Non-compliance: 2nd month – no payment • Elderly population: two health checks per year • Only education conditions are monitored now • Health: soft conditions

  7. Payment Structure [1] • Payments made to female if possible • Basic payment is BZ$44 ≡ US$22 a month • Increases by school level and sex • Max. payment is $82 for males & $75 for females $5 F / $10 M $5 F / $7 M +$2 +$5 +$2 +$5 +$2 +$5

  8. Payment Structure [2] • Why? • Males drop out of school… • At greater rates • At early levels • Secondary school net enrolment data: • Males = 37% • Females = 44%

  9. BOOST: Future… • Monitor Health Conditions • Data exchange with Ministry of Health pending • Potential for other services offered to BOOST households: • Parenting Course • Financial planning (through Credit Unions) • Skills building and training • Managed expansion • Evaluation & Research : Impact on household

  10. BOOST – Program Impact • Two levels of Impact: • Beneficiaries • Social Protection Sector

  11. Program Impact – Beneficiaries [1] • No impact study conducted, but anecdotal evidence from process evaluation conducted by the World Bank (http://goo.gl/FN9EN, June 2012)

  12. Program Impact – Beneficiaries [2]

  13. Program Impact – SP System [1] • BOOST as a key driver of wider system reform; intra- and inter-ministry by highlighting ‘opportunities’ in the SP system • Difficulty in getting birth certificates / SS#s • Lack of co-ordination between units /ministries • Led to collaboration between Education Ministry [Truancy Unit] and MHDSTPA in collecting attendance data from schools

  14. Program Impact – SP System [2] • Growing degree of appreciation for evidence based social policy across government • Moving beyond quantifying the poor to actually targeting services by design…Only programme to use a transparent, objective eligibility criterion (PMT) • Shown that Government can implement complex, modern and effective programs

  15. Program Impact – SP System [3] • Positive feedback from multi-lateral donors • Ministry profile raised (still a small ministry

  16. BOOST – Program Sustainability • Wholly funded from GoB recurrent expenditure [very positive] • High profile with politicians and public • Prime Minister attributes some of last electoral success to BOOST • Good mention in local mediahttp://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/78048http://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/78045http://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/66222

  17. BOOST – Innovation • Really was a new experience for Ministry in terms of implementing such a large, complex program… • In-House MIS • Credit Union Accounts • Proxy Means Test (PMT)

  18. Innovations: In-House MIS [1] • Started as series of Excel worksheets… • Now an Access DB & Website for case mgmt • Evolution of MIS was demand driven & specifically for context • All built in-house – zero cost(except for sleepless nights!) • Extensive use of Google functionality

  19. Innovations: In-House MIS [2]

  20. Innovations: In-House MIS [3]

  21. Innovations: Credit Unions • Real emphasis on signing up beneficiaries to Credit Unions: • Access to wider financial services • Security [previously large amounts of cash being paid] • No transaction cost using CUs • Currently 98% of beneficiaries paid through CUs

  22. Innovations: Proxy Means Test • Isn’t so innovative in terms of other CCT program in region • But was sharp change for MHDSTPA • Technical assistance from another project team • Difficulty in explaining results to officers and public

  23. Replication & potential for exchange • Evidence suggest CCTs are easy to replicate in different countries and contexts[vast number being implemented in over 30 countries] • Some of design settings could be equally applicable to other Caribbean states • Great potential for exchange

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