Cash transfer programmes

Overview

This report focussed on evidence published in the last ten years (since 2009).Positive evidence on stunting is found in the following programmes:

• Unconditional transfer with dietary advice in Nicaragua.
• Cash plus behaviour change communication in Bangladesh.
• Transfers in the Philippines conditional on immunisations, weight monitoring, clinic management of childhood diseases, deworming and family development sessions.
• Cash transfers in Peru conditional on growth monitoring, ante-natal check-ups, school enrolment, and national ID for children.
• Cash transfers plus capacity building for social protection in Nepal. Capacity development of government officials, improvements in administering grants and linking them to nutrition goals.

The importance of maternal education on stunting emerged from the literature and warrants further investigation, which was outside the scope of this report. Reporting of cash transfer programmes where impact on stunting was not found often note the difficulty in evaluating impacts on stunting over the short-term. The causes of stunting are complex and difficult to link to results