Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe’s Harmonised Social Cash Transfer (HSCT) Programme
| Year Programme Began: | 2011 |
| Implementing Ministry: | Ministry of Public Service, Labour, and Social Welfare |
| Target Group: | Food poor and labour constrained |
| Conditions: | None |
| Approximate Reach (as of 2015): | 55,000 households (as of 2015) |
Zimbabwe’s National Harmonized Social Cash Transfer programme (HSCT) is an unconditional cash transfer program targeted to ultra-poor households who are labor constrained. The programme was introduced in 2011 by Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare (MPSLSW). Objectives are to enable beneficiary households to increase their consumption to a level above the food poverty line, to reduce the number of ultra-poor households and to help beneficiaries avoid risky coping strategies such as child labour and early marriage. The HSCT Programme is positioned to become Zimbabwe’s primary social protection program and will eventually cover the whole country. UNICEF Zimbabwe contracted the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and its partners the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), and the Centre of Applied Social Sciences (CASS) to conduct the evaluation of the HSCT.
The Department of Social Services is responsible for the administration and management of the program. The MPSLSW is rolling out the programme in four phases. Phase 1 was from 2011 – 2012, when the program was rolled out in ten districts and the first transfer was provided in February 2012. In 2013 (Phase 2), 10 new districts were added to the program, and the rollout of Phase 2 began in three districts – Binga, Mwenezi, and Mudzi. Eligible households receive bi-monthly cash payments that range from US$10 to US$25 per month based on household size. The HSCT is jointly funded by the Government of Zimbabwe and Development Partners, through the multi-donor aligned Child Protection Fund; technical assistance is provided by UNICEF. To qualify for the Program, households must be food poor (living below the food poverty line) and must be labor constrained.
| Type | Title | Theme(s) | Year | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Journal Article | Cash transfers’ role in improving livelihood diversification strategies and well-being: short- and medium-term evidence from Zimbabwe | Cash Plus Programmes; Health, Nutrition, and Well-Being; Poverty Reduction and Food Security | 2022 | Pace, Noemi & Sebastian, Ashwini & Daidone, Silvio & Campos, Ana & Prifti, Ervin & Davis, Benjamin. (2022). Cash transfers’ role in improving livelihood diversification strategies and well-being: short- and medium-term evidence from Zimbabwe. World Development. 154. 105874. 10.1016/j.worlddev.2022.105874. |
| Journal Article | The impact of unconditional cash transfers on morbidity and health-seeking behaviour in Africa: evidence from Ghana,Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabw | Cash Plus Programmes; Health, Nutrition, and Well-Being | 2022 | Jacob Novignon, Leah Prencipe, Adria Molotsky, Elsa Valli, Richard de Groot, Clement Adamba, Tia Palermo, The impact of unconditional cash transfers on morbidity and health-seeking behaviour in Africa: evidence from Ghana,Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, Health Policy and Planning, 2022;, czac014, https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czac014 |
| Journal Article | A cash plus program reduces youth exposure to physical violence in Zimbabwe | Adolescents; Cash Plus Programmes; Gender and Gender-Based Violence | 2020 | Chakrabarti, A., Handa, S., Angeles, G., Seidenfeld, D. (2020) A cash plus program reduces youth exposure to physical violence in Zimbabwe, |
| Journal Article | More Evidence on the Impact of Government Social Protection in Sub Saharan Africa: Ghana, Malawi and Zimbabwe | Health, Nutrition, and Well-Being; Poverty Reduction and Food Security | 2021 | Handa, S., Otchere, F., Sirma, P. and (2021), More Evidence on the Impact of Government Social Protection in Sub Saharan Africa: Ghana, Malawi and Zimbabwe. Dev Policy Rev. Accepted Author Manuscript. https://doi.org/10.1111/dpr.12576 |
| Brief | Zimbabwe's cash transfer programme: The challenges of a promising programme | Programme Evaluation and Design | 2017 | UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office. (2017).Zimbabwe’s cash transfer programme: The challenges of a promising programme.Nairobi, Kenya. |
| Journal Article | The effect of cash transfers and household vulnerability on food security in Zimbabwe | Poverty Reduction and Food Security | 2018 | Bhalla G, Hnda S, Angeles G and Seidenfeld D. (2018). The effect of cash transfers and household vulnerability on food security in Zimbabwe. Food Policy (74): 82-99. |
| Book Chapter | Zimbabwe: Using Evidence to Overcome Political and Economic Challenges to Starting a National Unconditional Cash Transfer Programme. In From evidence to action: The story of cash transfers and impact evaluation in sub-Saharan Africa | 2016 | Seidenfeld D, Dumba L, Handa S, Muwoni L, Reeves H and Sammon E. (2016). Zimbabwe: Using Evidence to Overcome Political and Economic Challenges to Starting a National Unconditional Cash Transfer Programme. In From evidence to action: The story of cash transfers and impact evaluation in sub-Saharan Africa. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. | |
| Working and Position Paper | The Effect of Cash Transfers and Household Vulnerability on Food Insecurity in Zimbabwe | Poverty Reduction and Food Security | 2016 | Bhalla G, Handa S, Angeles G and Seidenfeld D. (2016). The Effect of Cash Transfers and Household Vulnerability on Food Insecurity in Zimbabwe, Innocenti Working Papers no. 2016-22, UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti, Florence. |
| Brief | Zimbabwe's Harmonized Cash Transfer Programme improves food security and reduces reliance on food gifts | Poverty Reduction and Food Security | 2018 | Bhalla G. (2018). Zimbabwe’s Harmonized Cash Transfer Programme improves food security and reduces reliance on food gifts. Innocenti Research Brief 2018-18. UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti, Florence, Italy. |
| Brief | Social Protection and Childhood Violence: Expert Roundtable, Innocenti Research Briefs no. 2016-11, UNICEF Office of Research - Innocenti, Florence | 2016 | Cook S, Neijhoft N, Palermo T and Peterman A. (2016). Social Protection and Childhood Violence: Expert Roundtable, Innocenti Research Briefs no. 2016-11, UNICEF Office of Research - Innocenti, Florence. | |
| Brief | Measuring Health and Well-being of Young People in the Transfer Project | Health, Nutrition, and Well-Being | 2015 | Palermo T. (2015). Measuring Health and Well-being of Young People in the Transfer Project. The Transfer Project Research Brief 2015-03. Chapel Hill, NC: Carolina Population Center, UNC-Chapel Hill. |
| Brief | Social Protection Programmes Contribute to HIV Prevention | Health, Nutrition, and Well-Being | 2015 | EPRI/ UNICEF. (2015). Social Protection Programmes Contribute to HIV Prevention. |
| Brief | The state of evidence on social cash transfers in Africa: Transfer Project Workshop Brief 2017. Innocenti Research Brief 2017-21. UNICEF Office of Research - Innocenti, Florence, Italy | 2017 | Mills M, Spektor G and Terzini M. (2017). The state of evidence on social cash transfers in Africa: Transfer Project Workshop Brief 2017. Innocenti Research Brief 2017-21. UNICEF Office of Research - Innocenti, Florence, Italy. | |
| Brief | Myth-busting? How research is refuting common perceptions about unconditional cash transfers. Transfer Project Research Brief 2017-02 | Education and Child Labour | 2017 | Peterman A, Yablonski J and Daidone S. (2017). Myth-busting? How research is refuting common perceptions about unconditional cash transfers. Transfer Project Research Brief 2017-02. Chapel Hill, NC: Carolina Population Center, UNC-Chapel Hill. |
| Journal Article | Myth-busting? Confronting Six Common Perceptions about Unconditional Cash Transfers as a Poverty Reduction Strategy in Africa. World Bank Research Observer, 33(2): 259 298 | 2018 | Handa S, Daidone S, Peterman A, Davis B, Pereira A, Palermo T, Yablonski J on behalf of the Transfer Project (2018). Myth-busting? Confronting Six Common Perceptions about Unconditional Cash Transfers as a Poverty Reduction Strategy in Africa. World Bank Research Observer, 33(2): 259 298. | |
| Journal Article | The livelihood impacts of cash transfers in Sub-Saharan Africa: Beneficiary perspectives from six countries | Gender and Gender-Based Violence | 2017 | Fisher E, Attah R, Barca V, O’Brien C, Brook S, Holland J, Kardan A, Pavanello S and Pozarny P. (2017). The livelihood impacts of cash transfers in Sub-Saharan Africa: Beneficiary perspectives from six countries. World Development, 99: 299-319. |
| Working and Position Paper | Myth-busting? Confronting six common perceptions about unconditional cash transfers as a poverty reduction strategy in Africa. Innocenti Working Papers no. 2017-11, UNICEF Office of Research - Innocenti, Florence | 2017 | Handa S, Daidone S, Peterman A, Davis B, Pereira A, Palermo T and Yablonski J. (2017). Myth-busting? Confronting six common perceptions about unconditional cash transfers as a poverty reduction strategy in Africa. Innocenti Working Papers no. 2017-11, UNICEF Office of Research - Innocenti, Florence. | |
| Brief | The impact of cash transfers on food security | Poverty Reduction and Food Security | 2016 | Hjelm L. (2016). The impact of cash transfers on food security. Transfer Project Research Brief 2016-01. Chapel Hill, NC: Carolina Population Center, UNC-Chapel Hill. |
| Brief | The broad range of cash transfer impacts in sub-Saharan Africa: Consumption, Human Capital and Productive Activity | Adolescents; Health, Nutrition, and Well-Being | 2014 | Davis B and Handa S. (2014). The broad range of cash transfer impacts in sub-Saharan Africa: Consumption, Human Capital and Productive Activity. Transfer Project Research Brief. Chapel Hill, NC: Carolina Population Center, UNC-Chapel Hill. |
| Brief | The Cost of Social Cash Transfer Programs in sub-Saharan Africa | Programme Evaluation and Design | 2013 | Plavgo I, de Milliano M and Handa S. (2013).The Cost of Social Cash Transfer Programs in sub-Saharan Africa. Transfer Project Research Brief 2013-01. Chapel Hill, NC: Carolina Population Center, UNC-Chapel Hill. |
| Brief | Evaluating the Impact of Cash Transfer Programmes in sub-Saharan Africa. IPC-UNDP Research Brief | Programme Evaluation and Design | 2012 | Davis B, Gaarder M, Handa S and Yablonski J. (2012). Evaluating the Impact of Cash Transfer Programmes in sub-Saharan Africa. IPC-UNDP Research Brief. |
| Journal Article | Can Social Protection Affect Psychosocial Wellbeing and Why Does This Matter? Lessons from Cash Transfers in Sub-Saharan Africa | Health, Nutrition, and Well-Being | 2016 | Attah R, Barca V, Kardan K, MacAuslan I, Merttens F andPellerano L. (2016). Can Social Protection Affect Psychosocial Wellbeing and Why Does This Matter? Lessons from Cash Transfers in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Journal of Development Studies, 52(8). |
| Brief | Measurement of interpersonal violence in national social cash transfer evaluations. Transfer Project Research Brief 2016-05 | Gender and Gender-Based Violence | 2016 | Palermo, T.(2016). Measurement of interpersonal violence in national social cash transfer evaluations. Transfer Project Research Brief 2016-05. Chapel Hill, NC: Carolina Population Center, UNC-Chapel Hill. |
| Brief | How much do programmes pay? Transfer size in selected national cash transfer programmes in Africa | Programme Evaluation and Design | 2015 | Davis B and Handa S. (2015). How much do programmes pay? Transfer size in selected national cash transfer programmes in Africa. The Transfer Project Research Brief 2015-09. Chapel Hill, NC: Carolina Population Center, UNC-Chapel Hill. |
| Journal Article | Examination of performance of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale Short Form 10 among African youth in poor, rural households | Adolescents; Health, Nutrition, and Well-Being | 2018 | Kilburn K, Prencipe L, Hjelm L, Peterman A, Handa S and Palermo T. (2018). Examination of performance of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale Short Form 10 among African youth in poor, rural households. BMC Psychiatry, 18(201). |
Harmonised Social Cash Transfer Programme, Baseline 2013
Harmonised Social Cash Transfer Programme, Follow-Up 2014
Harmonised Social Cash Transfer Programme, Endline 2017
Harmonized Social Cash Transfer (HSCT)
| Data Collection | |
| Years: | 2013-2016 |
| Sample Size: | 3,000 households |
| Location: | Treatment Districts: Binga, Mwenzi, and Mudzi; Comparison Districts: UMP, Chiredzi, and Hwange |
| Evaluation Design: | District-matched case-control |
| Key Partners/Implementers: | UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti AIR – American Institutes of Research UNC-CH – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare University of Zimbabwe’s Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences PtoP – FAO Protection to Production project |
| Funders: | 3ie – International Initiative for Impact Evaluation DfID – Department for International Development EU – European Union FAO – Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations SDC – Swiss Development Cooperation Sida – Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency |
| Reports |
HSCT Impact Evaluation Baseline Report (2013) |