NUTRITION EMBEDDING EVALUATION PROGRAMME

o THE MAM’OUT PROJECT: SEASONAL MULTIANNUAL CASH TRANSFERS FOR THE PREVENTION OF ACUTE IN TAPOA Action Against | ACF International,

The Challenge contribute to social cohesion. The positive Over 52 million children globally suffer effects of the project globally were related from acute malnutrition.1 Its causes are to the increase in purchasing power and numerous and intrinsically linked to the improvement of husband-wife inadequate health practices, lack of dietary relationships. However, there was no diversity and food insecurity—which are all significant change in the incidence of acute exacerbated by poverty. As one of the malnutrition after the intervention. The poorest countries globally, Burkina Faso programme demonstrated to be as cost also has a high rate of acute malnutrition. efficient as other safety net programmes. Rural populations are especially affected because of their isolated location and The Lessons Learnt limited resources. Studies have shown that The project formed selection and safety net approaches, like cash transfers, complaint committees to manage the can address several underlying causes of beneficiaries and their feedback during undernutrition: removing financial barriers implementation. This mechanism allowed to healthcare, reducing poverty and for adaptation in project implementation in improving , food consumption order to achieve its objectives. The involvement of village chiefs and village and child health. PATH/Monique Berlier development committees and regular

The Intervention criteria to receive the cash transfers were communication with participants were Action Against Hunger | ACF International’s households classified as poor or very poor essential for acceptance of the study from MAM’Out intervention in Tapoa consisted and having at least one child under age one. both the intervention and control villages. of seasonal multi-annual cash transfers Data collection was conducted quarterly By celebrating both village types at the aimed at ensuring protection of household with participating households. The beginning of the project, the control resources at the right time. Given the objective of the study was to determine if villages were just as committed to the dependence on seasons for agriculture and this cash transfer approach effectively outcomes of the evaluation. As a result, no livestock care in Tapoa, there are certain prevented acute malnutrition in children, conflicts existed between control and times of the year where poor families do and if it was cost-effective compared to intervention groups during not have enough revenue compared to other safety net approaches. It compared implementation. their expenses. Over two years, monthly child health and nutrition, dietary diversity, cash transfers were given to mothers from health centre attendance, access to water Looking Ahead poor households via mobile phones to and adequate hygiene and women decision Overall, the evaluation for MAM’Out supplement their household income during power as its variables. demonstrated that cash transfers can be a this “hunger gap”—July to November. The cost-efficient and community-accepted aim was households would use the money The Results approach to ensure available funds for food to increase nutritious food consumption, By the end of the project, all beneficiaries and health care during seasonal “hunger access health services and access good received the cash transfer every gaps.” As well, distributing them to water, sanitation and hygiene conditions. distribution month. The main areas of mothers contributes to women’s investment were for food and health; on empowerment to make decisions around The Evaluation average, 40% of the amount received was household purchases, healthcare and food The cluster-randomised controlled trial was dedicated to children. A majority of the consumption. However, for future conducted in the Tapoa province in the beneficiaries saw the cash transfer amount programmes, it will be necessary to allow Eastern region of Burkina Faso. Thirty-two as sufficient—74%. Cases of sharing goods for a longer intervention timeframe in villages were randomly selected to either or cash outside the household were order to see sufficient impact on health and the intervention or control group. Selection reported and were considered to nutrition in children.

The Nutrition Embedding Evaluation Programme (NEEP) is a four-year project (Oct 2013–Oct 2017) led by This document was produced through support PATH and funded by the UK Department for International Development. NEEP aims to build the evidence provided by UKaid from the Department for base for what works in improving nutrition by conducting credible, robust evaluations of innovative International Development. The opinions interventions implemented by civil society organisations (CSOs). The programme provides grants to 18 herein are those of the author(s) and do not CSOs to evaluate their programmes in 13 different countries. For more information, see necessarily reflect the views of the http://sites.path.org/mchn/our-projects/nutrition/neep/. Department of International Development.

References 1 Black RE, Allen LH, Bhutta ZA, et al. Maternal and child undernutrition 1 - Maternal and child undernutrition: global and regional exposures and health consequences. The Lancet. 2008;371(9608):243–60.

From the Publication Tonguet-Papucci A & Loada M. The MAM’Out Project: seasonal multiannual cash transfers for the prevention of acute malnutrition in Tapoa. Action Against Hunger| ACF International. 2016.

This brief was written with permission from the researchers at Action Against Hunger | ACF International.

For more information, contact: Audrey Tonguet-Papucci, [email protected].