Policies

The Nahouri Cash Transfers

Context

Burkina Faso faces severe health and economic challenges, with nearly half of its population living in poverty and a low life expectancy of 55 years. Health care is poor, with 35% of children under five malnourished and only about half of primary school-aged children attending school.

Solution

The Nahouri Cash Transfers Pilot Project, a two-year initiative, used conditional and unconditional cash transfers to encourage school attendance for children aged 7 to 15 and quarterly health monitoring for children under six. Implemented in southern Burkina Faso, the program involved 3,200 households in 75 villages, using a randomized control trial to assess the effectiveness of different cash transfer types.

Impact

Conditional cash transfers increased preventive health care visits for children by over 40%, regardless of which parent received the money, while unconditional transfers did not have the same effect. Both types of transfers improved school enrollment for traditionally favored children, but conditional transfers were more effective for "marginal children," such as girls and younger children. These findings informed the design of Burkina Faso’s national safety net program, benefiting 40,000 poor households and currently being evaluated for further impact through an SIEF grant.

Analysis

The Nahouri Cash Transfers Pilot Project in Burkina Faso effectively addressed key educational barriers, such as poverty, malnutrition, gender disparities, and limited school access. The program incentivized school attendance and health check-ups by providing conditional and unconditional cash transfers. Conditional transfers significantly boosted school enrollment, particularly for girls and younger children, and increased preventive health care visits by over 40%. This approach improved educational outcomes and provided a scalable model for national social safety nets, enhancing overall well-being for vulnerable populations in Burkina Faso.