Comments on: Teaching the poor to Fish? Cash grants in Sierra Leone http://internationalbudget.wordpress.com/2008/05/14/teaching-the-poor-to-fish-cash-grants-in-sierra-leone/ Open Budgets. Transform lives Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:40:21 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Cash or work: What do people want? « Open Budgets Blog http://internationalbudget.wordpress.com/2008/05/14/teaching-the-poor-to-fish-cash-grants-in-sierra-leone/#comment-238 Cash or work: What do people want? « Open Budgets Blog Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:22:04 +0000 http://internationalbudget.wordpress.com/?p=28#comment-238 [...] assist the poor is not going away.  Read some of our previous posts on this in issue in Tanzania , Sierra Leone and Kenya [...] [...] assist the poor is not going away.  Read some of our previous posts on this in issue in Tanzania , Sierra Leone and Kenya [...]

]]> By: How to give money to the Poor « Open Budgets Blog http://internationalbudget.wordpress.com/2008/05/14/teaching-the-poor-to-fish-cash-grants-in-sierra-leone/#comment-82 How to give money to the Poor « Open Budgets Blog Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:25:42 +0000 http://internationalbudget.wordpress.com/?p=28#comment-82 [...] to give money to the Poor We recently posted on cash grant programs in Sierra Leone and Kenya. In the recently published Mainstreaming Gender in Social Protection for the Informal [...] [...] to give money to the Poor We recently posted on cash grant programs in Sierra Leone and Kenya. In the recently published Mainstreaming Gender in Social Protection for the Informal [...]

]]> By: Helena Hofbauer http://internationalbudget.wordpress.com/2008/05/14/teaching-the-poor-to-fish-cash-grants-in-sierra-leone/#comment-46 Helena Hofbauer Sun, 25 May 2008 22:09:12 +0000 http://internationalbudget.wordpress.com/?p=28#comment-46 Cash transfers have been used for Mexico's one quarter poorest population for over a decade now. Overall, the largest program responsible for cash transfers (Oportunidades) is viewed as highly successful, due to a series of particularities: First, the cash transfer is linked to the children in schoolage within the household. As such, the money is dependant on children actually going to school--and is an incentive for keeping them there. Girls receive a slightly higher sum than boys, in order to ensure their enrollment and permanence in school. Second, the money is disbursed by bank transfer directly to the mother, with the dual effect of reducing leakages and corruption along the system, and ensuring that the transfer is used "for the benefit of the household". It is fair to say that one elements that has made the Oportunidades program successful is the fact that it is tied to government services. Cash transfers operating in a vacuum of public services would probably have a much more limited impact on overall social development. Also, targeting the right communities and households within them is one of the most important issues with cash transfers--and it also requires a structure and information on which to be built on. Cash transfers have been used for Mexico’s one quarter poorest population for over a decade now. Overall, the largest program responsible for cash transfers (Oportunidades) is viewed as highly successful, due to a series of particularities: First, the cash transfer is linked to the children in schoolage within the household. As such, the money is dependant on children actually going to school–and is an incentive for keeping them there. Girls receive a slightly higher sum than boys, in order to ensure their enrollment and permanence in school. Second, the money is disbursed by bank transfer directly to the mother, with the dual effect of reducing leakages and corruption along the system, and ensuring that the transfer is used “for the benefit of the household”.

It is fair to say that one elements that has made the Oportunidades program successful is the fact that it is tied to government services. Cash transfers operating in a vacuum of public services would probably have a much more limited impact on overall social development. Also, targeting the right communities and households within them is one of the most important issues with cash transfers–and it also requires a structure and information on which to be built on.

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