Save The Children: Cash transfers crucial in tackling child mortality

A new report by Save the Children, UK, (Lasting Benefits: The role of cash transfers in tackling child mortality), released in June, highlights the benefits that cash transfers may have in reducing child mortality and lifting poor families out of poverty.

As the report indicates,

While more emphasis and resources for the development and strengthening of good-quality health systems are vital, a policy approach that concerns itself only with ‘supply-side issues’ will not succeed in dramatically reducing child mortality. A range of economic barriers prevent families from being able to protect their children from early deaths. [...]
The evidence presented here suggests that well-designed cash transfer programmes can help tackle many of the determinants of child mortality, most immediately by increasing access to healthcare and reducing malnutrition. Across a number of countries, particularly in Latin America and Africa, cash transfers have helped poor people to access food and healthcare, and to enhance the status of women (itself one of the most significant determinants of child survival). Contrary to common assumptions, cash transfers also have important positive economic benefits, helping to create livelihood opportunities, increase labour productivity and earnings, stimulate local markets, and cushion families from the worst effects of crises.

These regular cash transfers, the Lancet editorial writes, may prove crucial in realising the 4th MDG (reducing under five child mortality by two thirds).

This report touches upon an area of BRC activities supporting the SARCS to improve access to social welfare grants in South Africa.