social protection reform the case of belize. belize in context area: 8,867 sq. miles population:...
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SOCIAL PROTECTION REFORM
The Case of Belize
Belize in Context
Area: 8,867 sq. miles Population: 322,100 Pop. Growth Rate : 3.4 Fertility Rate: 2.9 Life expectancy : 72.5 GDP per capita: US$4090 Multi-ethnic, Multi-lingual
society
Belize in Context 2
Poverty rate: 41% population, 32% HH Indigent Rate: 15.8% population, 11%
HH Unemployment Rate: 8.5 %
Females:13.1%,Youths: 24%
Female Headed HH: 24% External debt : 97% of GDP
Indigent HH Indigent Population
Belize spends a significant amount of resources on social protection (5.7 % of GDP),
yet this spending has not translated into results!
Evidenced by the large number of poor families that remain vulnerable in Belize.
The poor and vulnerable in Belize face a series of important risks resulting from:
Macroeconomic disturbances and consequent variations in employment, income, and consumption
Microeconomic conditions that expose the poorest families to a series of adverse situations.
Natural disasters
The Social Protection System in Belize was found to be inadequate to
address the risks these vulnerable groups face.
Key Problems
Poor resource allocation
Weak targeting
Low program effectiveness.
GOB Social Policy Goal
Promote key social sector reforms within a framework of fiscal sustainability and
macroeconomic stability in order to achieve the social sector goals set out in Belize’s National Poverty Elimination Strategy.
Specific Aims
1. Maintain sound macroeconomic policies
2. Improve the quality and coverage of primary health care to the most
vulnerable population
3. Improve the quality of teachers and equity in secondary education
financing
4. Improve the capacity to target, coordinate, monitor and evaluate social services
5. Enhance fiscal transparency and responsibility for fiscal sustainability.
Strengthening Social Safety
Nets
Conditional Cash Transfer Programme
Cash transfer programme targeted indigent families with children, elderly and persons with disabilities
Reform started in 2008 – doubling the size of the benefit, number of beneficiaries and introducing concept of co-responsibilities.
Refocusing of the programme aims- poverty alleviation and human capital development
CCT (2)
Benefit is US$22 monthly per person to a maximum of 6 persons.
Co-responsibilities : - 85% school attendance for children 5-17 years old- 100% immunization for children 0-5 years old- pregnant mothers access ante-natal service starting in the first trimester - 2 health checks per year for persons 60 years and over
Programme Upgrade in 2011 Renamed BOOST : Building Opportunities for Our
Social Transformation
Increase coverage to 6000 more beneficiaries
Introduction of a graduated benefit scheme for children attending school
Payment of benefit through credit unions
Improved targeting mechanism via refined PMT
Education Fee Waivers
$300 registration fee waivers introduced in 2008 for poor first and second year secondary school students.
All children in the poorest districts of Toledo and Stann Creek automatically qualify
Public Assistance Programme In kind assistance to poor families – food,
rent, medical services, education expenses, funeral expenses
Ceilings of benefits increased
Families can be eligible for ongoing assistance within a case management framework
The Pantry Programme
Subsidized food programme Targets the working poor Families can purchase of a basic basket
of goods for half price Being piloted with 1300 families in the
largest and poorest urban center with the highest crime rates.
Administered by the Salvation Army
SISB
Pilot Project in Southern BelizeTo probe all parts of the SISB
Targeting System to reach the most poor
Beneficiary Targeting IndexWeight family poverty level
Single Beneficiary Registry To allow the identification, registration, selection and classification of the poor
population
Questionnaire Design to capture information to be
collected in each household members.
Monitoring & Evaluation of Social Programs
Evaluate the impact of social programs, in terms of changes in the quality of life of
families
Database IntegrationThe need to integrate databases for a stronger system and common benefit
Objectives of the SISB
Establish a technical, objective, equitable and uniform mechanism for selecting beneficiaries of social investment
Specific objectives:o classify applicants of social programs in a rapid, uniform
and equitable way;o strengthen institutional development of line ministries
with the establishment of a modern social information system;
o support inter-institutional coordination to improve impact of social spending and avoid duplications;
o Focus efforts on the poorest and most vulnerable
Gross Weekly Income in US$
SISB WILL BE USED TO ALLOCATESOCIAL INVESTMENT
BENEFITS WILL ONLY GO TO THE FAMILIES THAT ARE IDENTIFIED
AT THE LOWER RANGES OF POVERTY
General Population
Eligible HH SSN Programmes
Beneficiaries
Conditional Assistance
Food Pantry
Single Mother’s Project
Public Assistance
Education $300 Subsidy
Increasing women’s employability and
reducing the vulnerability of female headed
households.
Programme Administration Reform Modernization and streamlining of
programme administration Partnerships with non-governmental
entities to deliver services
Single Mother’s Skills Training Programmme
Single mothers with household incomes below the poverty line, who reside in south side Belize City
Focused recruitment of women: a) below the age of 30 years b) with active child abuse casesc) domestic violence survivorsd) who received public
assistance in the past year
Single Mothers (2)
Comprehensive programme that provides employable and/or entrepreneurial skills, job readiness, job identification and placement, psycho social and support services.
150 women trained and employed since programme started in late 2009.
Women’s Employability
Increased support to women’s cooperative
Re-orientation of training programmes delivered by the Women's Department
Increasing youth employability
Strengthening the Educational System :Focusing on Coverage, Quality and Efficiency School finance reform Strengthening School Inspectorate Establishment of a National Teaching
Commission Increasing coverage of second chance
/alternative education Re-establishment of apprenticeship
programmes
Issues and Challenges
These are early days and the work is very much in progress
Increasing the coverage of programmes Many pots on the fire – ensuring quality
and coherence in programme design, implementation and M & E
Coordination with other government Ministries