Bangladesh : Can Conditional Cash Transfers Improve Nutrition?
Policymakers and development groups are interested in innovative ways to deliver cash transfer programs and make an impact where it s needed most. In Bangladesh, World Bank researchers worked with the government to evaluate a pilot social protectio...
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| Language: | English en_US |
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Washington, DC
2015
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2015/01/23908835/bangladesh-can-conditional-cash-transfers-improve-nutrition http://hdl.handle.net/10986/22635 |
| Summary: | Policymakers and development groups are
interested in innovative ways to deliver cash transfer
programs and make an impact where it s needed most. In
Bangladesh, World Bank researchers worked with the
government to evaluate a pilot social protection program
that conditioned transfers on primary school attendance,
monthly growth monitoring for young children and monthly
nutrition sessions for mothers. Payments were made to
mothers via electronic cash cards. While the program had no
effect on school attendance, it significantly boosted
consumption of protein and other nutrition- rich foods, and
reduced wasting. Based on the results, the nutrition-related
part of the program is being scaled up with World Bank
assistance to reach 600,000 of the poorest households across
Bangladesh, potentially benefitting 2.7 million people.
Bangladesh reduced the percentage of families living in
poverty by almost a third over the past decade to 30
percent, but the country hasn t been as successful at
cutting the rate of wasting and stunting among children.
Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of malnutrition in
the world and 41 percent of children below the age of 5 are
stunted. About five million children are also out of school. |
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