Djibouti, Japan

Djibouti’s Social Safety Net Tackles Nutrition through Cash-for-Work

by Ippei Tsuruga Views: 409
photo credit: World Bank
photo credit: World Bank

The World Bank made a commitment to support the continuation of its Social Safety Net (SSN) program in Djibouti. The existing program has been guiding the government on nutrition and cash-for-work interventions.

The programme is innovative and unique at the point that it aims to improve nutrition for the poor. Beneficiaries are selected through geographical targeting based on poverty rates and nutrition-based targeting. Within defined area, the programme targets households who contain nutritionally vulnerable members (pregnant women and children under the age of two) for eligible beneficiaries.

This public work programme is  greatly nutrition-based, with a focus on hygiene and access to water, and income-generating interventions for women, and options for household asset building.

Cash-for-work is greatly nutrition-based, income-generating interventions for women. Under the programme, each beneficiary can apply for 50 days of work (community service and light labour) to make a small daily wage. Only the households who have attended the nutrition interventions*, with the female caregiver having first right to decide whether she wants to take the work or delegate it to a household member.

The World Bank provide budget for the implementation through a US$3.6 million Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF) grant and a US$5 million IDA grant.

*Nutrition Interventions – Under the program, behavior change communication during monthly group sessions and individual home visits aims to effect change both at household and community level. Growth monitoring sessions for children under two are organized monthly. Children between 6 and 24 months are provided micronutrient powders and targeted supplements. The program also promotes healthy behavior and accompanies patients referred to health centers for free diagnoses of hemoglobin levels during prenatal care. This community-based nutrition complements activities by the Ministry of Health, which focuses on the treatment of acute malnutrition.

Reference
World Bank. Developing a nutrition-based social safety net program in Djibouti
World Bank. Innovative Nutrition Program in Djibouti Receives an Additional US$5 Million Credit
Stefanie Brodmann. Djibouti: What Happens When Women Control the Income?
Homa-Zahra Fotouhi. Djibouti Invests in the First 1,000 Days

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Author: Ippei TsurugaIppei Tsuruga is Social Protection Programme Manager for Indonesia at International Labour Organization. He has been managing programmes and providing technical contributions to social security reforms at the country level in Indonesia, Viet Nam and Myanmar, and also contributing to research and knowledge management at the ASEAN regional and global levels. He has been involved in various policy discussions and research activities on unemployment benefit, old-age, invalidity and survivors’ benefits, maternity benefit, sickness benefit, and the extension of social protection to workers in the informal economy. He has worked at the ILO Country Office for Indonesia and Timor-Leste, the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific and the Social Protection Department; and JICA Washington D.C. Office, Research Department, Country Office for Kenya, and Africa Department for Kenya, Nigeria and Somalia.

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