The Dedza Safety Nets Pilot Project (DSNPP)

Objectives and methodology

Carlos BarahonaStatistical Services CentreThe University of Reading

DSNPP

Pilot of direct welfare transfers (DWT) to the work-constrained rural poor

Run by Concern Universal in Dedza

M&E support from Calibre Consultants and the SSC at the University of Reading

Lessons will inform the design of a scaled-up DWT programme

Objectives of the pilotThe pilot aims to test and monitor:

Community management structures and transfer mechanisms

Whether the benefits reach the beneficiaries

The impact of the transfers on the well-being of beneficiaries

Logistics and cost

Consumer demand and the retail sector

The process of the Dedza Safety Nets Pilot Project

M&E tools Impact on beneficiaries Baseline and final impact surveys Quarterly monitoring surveys

Process as managed by village committees Minutes of committee meetings Records of receipt of transfers by beneficiaries

Expenditure pattern Receipts from vouchers Surveys

Logistics and costs CU officers’ records CU accounts

The transfersThree types, all of equal value = MK

550/month Cash Vouchers In-kind

A pack of goods in September 2001 that comprised: 2 blankets, 6 plates, 1 metal cooking pot, 1 pail, 10 tablets of washing soap and 10 tablets of bathing soap.

Oct - Dec 2001: 20 kg of maize flour Jan - May 2002: 15 kg of maize flour

The voucher

The village committees

Three types:

Democratically elected

Village head

Beneficiary/carer

Monitoring intensity

Two intensities:

Closely monitored

Hands-off

The resulting interventions

Hands-offBeneficiaries

Closely monitored

Hands-offDemocraticVouchers

Closely monitored

Hands-offVillage Head

Closely monitored

Hands-offBeneficiaries

Closely monitored

Hands-offDemocraticCash

Closely monitored

Hands-offVillage Head

Closely monitored

Hands-offBeneficiaries

Closely monitored

Hands-offDemocraticIn-kind

Closely monitored

Hands-offVillage Head

Closely monitored

18 different interventions

3 villages with each type

54 villages

Sampling and design 386 villages in Linthipe and Kabwazi

54 villages selected at random for the study

This design allows us to assess:

Differences between different types of transfer, types of committee, levels of monitoring

Any interactions between factors