MECG User Manual
User manual for the MECG management information system (MIS)
Highlights
To improve Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health (MNCH) indicators in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) and to increase coverage of social protection overall, the government has initiated the design and implementation of a new Mother and Early Childhood Grant (MECG). The MECG is developed in alignment with the National Social Protection Strategy (NSPS) approved by the Government of Lao PDR in April 2020 and with support from the United Nations Joint Programme (UNJP) on “Leaving no one behind: Establishing the basis for social protection floors in Lao PDR”. UNJP was launched to support the government with the implementation of the NSPS. UNJP is a joint initiative by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF). Alongside international agencies, numerous government partners, i.e. Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare (MoLSW), National Social Security Fund Office (NSSFO), Ministry of Planning and Investment (MoPI), Ministry of Finance (MoF), Ministry of Health (MoH), Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA), National Commission for the Advancement of Women, Mothers and Children (NCAWMC) and the National Social Protection Committee are also involved in the design and development of the MECG.
Through the MECG, Lao PDR’s Government recognises the importance of adequate social protection coverage to the demographic group of pregnant women, lactating mothers, and young children. As the chief procuring agent under the UNJP, UNICEF has commissioned the Economic Policy Research Institute (EPRI), a not-for-profit research institute based in Cape Town, South Africa, to provide technical support to the Government of Lao PDR in the design and operationalisation of the MECG programme. The technical support includes the design and development of the programme’s management information system (MIS). This document represents the user manual that will accompany the MIS and is a tool for applying the MIS in practice by MECG stakeholders and implementers at various levels.
