Cash Transfers for Orphans and Vulnerable Children, CT–OVC
Basic Information
Country
Geographic area
Institutions and agencies involved
Programme type
Population group
Children, Poor households
Programme Details
Programme objectives
It is designed to prevent the intergenerational transmission of poverty caused by HIV/AIDS through financial support to caretaking families of orphans.
The programme seeks to provide a social protection system through regular cash transfers to families living with OVCs in order to encourage fostering and retention of such children within their families and communities and to promote their human capital development.
Huang,C; Singh, K; et al. "Investments in children’s health and the Kenyan cash transfer for orphans and vulnerable children: evidence from an unconditional cash transfer scheme". Health Policy and Planning, Volume 32, Issue 7, September 2017. Accessed on 01 November 2022. Available at <https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czw181>.
National Social Protection Secretariat website. Accessed in 01 November 2022. Available at <https://www.socialprotection.or.ke/social-protection-components/social-assistance/national-safety-net-program/cash-transfer-for-orphans-and-vulnerable-children-ct-ovc>
Conditionalities (if any)
Beneficiary households should provide for the care and protection of
OVC: primary school attendance of all eligible children and attendance
of younger children at health centres for immunisations and other
health interventions
Bryant, J.H. 2009. “Kenya’s cash transfer program: protecting the health and human rights of orphans
and vulnerable children.” Health and Human Rights, Vol. 11, No. 2: 65–76.
3. National Gender and Equality Commission. 2014. Participation of Vulnerable Populations in their
Own Programmes - The Cash Transfers in Kenya. Nairobi: National Gender and Equality Commission.
Coverage
Programme expenditure
Targeting and eligiblity
Targeting methods
Means Test
Community-Based Targeting
Eligibility criteria
1) the presence of at least one orphan or vulnerable child (OVC) under the age of 18 with at least one deceased parent, or whose parent or main caregiver is chronically ill;
2) being ultra-poor, defined as belonging to the lowest expenditure quintile;
3) household must not be enrolled in other CT Programmes
National Social Protection Secretariat website. Accessed on 01 November 2022. Available at <https://www.socialprotection.or.ke/social-protection-components/social-assistance/national-safety-net-program/cash-transfer-for-orphans-and-vulnerable-children-ct-ovc>
UNICEF (2016). "Cash Transfers Improve the Mental Health and Well-being of Youth: Evidence from the Kenyan Cash Transfer for Orphans and Vulnerable Children". Accessed on 01 November 2022. Available at <https://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/801-cash-transfers-improve-the-mental-health-and-well-being-of-youth-evidence-from-the.html>
Eligibility reassessment (if any)
A beneficiary may voluntarily exit or be made to exit the CT programmes under the following circumstances/conditions:
1) Where the economic condition of the household is considered to have improved; 2) When a household voluntarily chooses to withdraw from the programme; 3) When it is discovered that a beneficiary gave false information to get into the programme; 4) Failure to collect payment for three consecutive payments with no valid explanation; 5) When the beneficiary moves from the location where they were receiving the payment to a location that is not covered by the programme they are in; 6) When the beneficiary dies, in which case, the household continues to receive the cash for the next three payments ONLY, after which they are required to exit the programme.( this in particular applies to OPCT and PWSD); 7) When a household is no longer taking care of an orphan or vulnerable child under the age of 18 years ( in the case of CT-OVC)
Coverage and other information
Amount of benefits
Payment/delivery frequency
Benefit delivery mechanism
The benefits are paid through the Kenya Commercial Bank and Equity Bank and its Agents.
Monitoring and evaluation mechanisms and frequency
Constituency Social Assistance Committees (CSAC) and Location OVC Committees (LOC) monitor programme performance at the local level to ascertain receipt of benefits and household compliance with conditionalities.
Bryant, J.H. 2009. “Kenya’s cash transfer program: protecting the health and human rights of orphans
and vulnerable children.” Health and Human Rights, Vol. 11, No. 2: 65–76.
MIS
A Consolidated Cash Transfer Programme Management information system (CCTPMIS) was developed
