Social Assessment for Ayeyarwady Region and Shan State
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AND DEVELOPMENT May 2019 Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized SOCIAL ASSESSMENT FOR AYEYARWADY REGION AND SHAN STATE Public Disclosure Authorized Myanmar: Maternal and Child Cash Transfers for Improved Nutrition 1 Myanmar: Maternal and Child Cash Transfers for Improved Nutrition Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement May 2019 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................... 5 List of Abbreviations .......................................................................................................................... 9 List of Tables ................................................................................................................................... 10 List of BOXES ................................................................................................................................... 10 A. Introduction and Background....................................................................................................... 11 1 Objectives of the Social Assessment ................................................................................................11 2 Project Description ..........................................................................................................................11 3 Relevant Country and Sector Context..............................................................................................12 3.1 Country Context .......................................................................................................................14 3.2 Sectoral and Institutional Context ...........................................................................................15 3.3 Context for the DSW Maternal and Child Cash Transfer Program ..........................................17 4 Key Issues and Key Research Questions for the Social Assessment ................................................20 5 Methodology ....................................................................................................................................21 B. Detailed Social Assessment Findings ............................................................................................ 24 1 Institutional Roles and Responsibilities ...........................................................................................24 1.1 Administrative structure and demography..............................................................................24 1.2 Implementing agency: Department of Social Welfare ............................................................24 1.3 Multi-Sector Collaboration for Project Implementation .........................................................25 1.4 Accountability and Grievance Redress Mechanism .................................................................29 1.5 Recommendations ...................................................................................................................30 2 Existing Norms on Nutrition .............................................................................................................31 2.1 Findings ....................................................................................................................................31 2.2 Recommendations ...................................................................................................................35 3 Existing Norms on Pre and Post-Natal Care .....................................................................................35 3.1 Findings ....................................................................................................................................35 3.2 Recommendations ...................................................................................................................41 4 Behavioral Change and Communications ........................................................................................41 4.1 Findings ....................................................................................................................................41 4.2 Existing Pre and Post-Natal Care Awareness and Communications ........................................44 4.3 Recommendations ...................................................................................................................46 5 Cash Transfers and Preferred Modalities ........................................................................................47 5.1 Findings ....................................................................................................................................47 5.2 Existing MCCT Modalities.........................................................................................................50 3 5.3 Recommendations ...................................................................................................................50 6 Ethnic Minorities and Inclusion in Project Area ...............................................................................52 6.1 Legal and Institutional Framework ..........................................................................................52 6.2 Ethnic groups in Shan and Ayeyarwardy .................................................................................53 6.3 Recommendations ...................................................................................................................56 7 Other Vulnerable Groups .................................................................................................................57 7.1 Description ...............................................................................................................................57 7.2 Recommendations ...................................................................................................................58 8 Conflict in Project Area ....................................................................................................................58 8.1 Description ...............................................................................................................................58 8.2 Recommendations ...................................................................................................................60 C. Consultations............................................................................................................................... 61 D. Annexes ...................................................................................................................................... 62 1 References .......................................................................................................................................62 2 Case Examples from Field Work ......................................................................................................63 3 Detailed DSW Structure ...................................................................................................................70 4 EXPANDING MATERNAL AND CHILD CASH TRANSFER PROGRAM IN MYANMAR FOR IMPROVED NUTRITION EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction: The Social Assessment and Community Participation Planning Framework are required for projects that receive World Bank financing. The social assessment aims to make the project more responsive to stakeholder concerns, including seeking to enhance the benefits for poor and vulnerable people. Community participation planning framework sets out procedures to ensure that people affected by the project receive culturally appropriate benefits and that the project reaches out to people who are hard to reach. After social assessment and community participation planning framework are completed the Department of Social Welfare (DSW) will organize consultations on the findings and framework to solicit stakeholder views. Methodology and Limitations: The social assessment was conducted as a mixed method study that utilized existing quantitative data & extensive qualitative data collection from interviews, focus group discussions, formal and informal consultations and a desk review of reports, studies, existing cash transfer manuals for Myanmar and international best practice. Research questions focused on: • Key social factors most likely to facilitate or inhibit the development and implementation of the project in Shan State and Ayeyarwady Region • Key cultural differences related to ethnicity, tradition and language that need to be considered • To what extent gender, ethnicity, religion, political affiliation and disability impact inclusion and increase marginalization • Critical issues about literacy and education levels, poverty status and location of households • Potential unintended risks of proposed project and how these can be minimized in the context of individuals, households and communities Limitations focused on the broadness of the social issues and themes of enquiry related to the proposed project in a large and diverse area of Ayeyarwady Region and Shan State. The sample size was relatively small. Representation was limited and the selection of townships and villages was not fully representative of all the eventual stakeholders. The assessment team did not visit any conflict affected areas in Shan State. In Ayeyarwady, majority of places selected were Bamar villages. Institutional Roles and Responsibilities: Findings related to roles and responsibilities highlighted that currently DSW has limited capacity