Improving Child Outcomes with Multisectoral Interventions

Highlights

Despite the success of cash transfer programmes in improving household and child outcomes in several contexts, there is growing evidence that complementary interventions are often required to ensure that outcomes are sustainable and transformative. This has led to the increasing use of “cash-plus” programmes which bundle cash transfers with other interventions such as behavioral change communication, health insurance, and case management, among others. The ‘plus’ components are usually designed to address specific barriers that cannot be simply addressed with the injection of cash to address liquidity constraints.

UNICEF Ethiopia supported the Government of Ethiopia with a pilot integrated safety-net programme (ISNP) in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. The ISNP integrated cash transfers with premium waivers for community-based health insurance, case management for malnourished and out of school children, and behavior change communication. This brief presents the findings and lessons from an impact evaluation of the ISNP between 2018 and 2023 using a mixed-methods design.