• Client: UNICEF.
• Funder: European Union.
• Country: Lesotho.
• Year: 2012.

The Integrated Social Safety Net System and Technical Assistance to the Child Grants Programme comprises Phase II of the project implemented by the Government of Lesotho and its Ministry of Social Development (MoSD).

In 2009 Ayala Consulting provided services for Phase I of the Child Grants Programme (CGP), including design improvements, the introduction of a tailor-made Management Information System (MIS) supporting four national social programs, and technical assistance to expand the improved CGP from approximately 1,100 households to 10,000 households.

After a competitive process Ayala Consulting signed a new contract with UNICEF for Phase II of the project. Phase II is focused on in-depth capacity building and skills transfer for CGP and MoSD staff, and design and implementation of an Integrated Social Safety Net (ISSN) incorporating four active social protection programs.

The ISSN will incorporate the Old Age Pension (OAP) and Public Assistance (PA), along with the Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) program and the CGP. The ISSN will offer a coordinated multi-sector approach capable of addressing various vulnerabilities throughout the life cycle of individuals. It will also provide opportunities for synergy and increased efficiency, reducing management redundancies and providing more holistic support for households.

The development of the ISSN also relies on the expansion of the National Information System for Social Assistance (NISSA), to include beneficiaries of all four programs.

In addition to the ISSN design and implementation of a pilot, the project includes continued technical assistance to the CGP, including capacity building and a pilot Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT). The specific objectives of this project include the following areas:

• To increase the coverage of NISSA, including beneficiaries from the OAP, PA, OVC and CGP;
• To expand the intervention of the CGP to cover 15,000 additional households, and to strengthen CGP service delivery to the 10,000 households enrolled in Phase I;
• To design and support implementation of one pilot CCT for the CGP;
• To design and support implementation of a pilot of the ISSN;
• To improve functionality, usability and attractiveness of the MIS, to better serve the programmes’ needs;
• To improve/introduce technological innovations for transfer mechanisms and data collection tools;
• To organize an international conference on cash transfer-based social assistance programmes with the participation of local and regional policy makers, implementers, researchers and civil society.

Additional Information:

• Sector: Social Protection, Health, Education.
• Target population: Children, Orphans and vulnerable children, Poor households.
• Program type: Cash transfer, Conditional cash transfer, Bursary, Pension, Social safety net, Single registry.
• Type of consultancy: Ex-ante assessment and design proposal, Detailed design, Technical assistance during implementation, Monitoring, Implementation management, Management information system.