While economic growth in Mozambique has been notable, its effects on poverty reduction have been marginal with the majority of Mozambicans (55%) still living below the national consumption poverty line of USD 0.6 a day.
To effectively respond to these challenges the Government of Mozambique has, since 2005, considerably intensified its efforts to consolidate its social protection systems. In February 2016, Mozambique’s Council of Ministers approved its new National Strategy for Basic Social Security. The new national strategy moved the focus of social support from households to individuals and readjusted its target groups accordingly. The newly targeted vulnerable groups at the individual level are Older People, People living with disabilities and Children. These groups are to be reached through an old-age benefit, a disability benefit and a child benefit. Development Pathways has been tasked by UNICEF Mozambique with providing technical assistance to the Government of Mozambique in the implementation of the new schemes, in the form of operations manuals and practical guidelines.
The Development Pathways team was contracted to develop an Operational Manual and Practical Guidelines for the old-age benefit, the disability benefit and the child benefit. This process involved a series of consultations with key stakeholders and implementation agencies at all levels, from senior Government officials to extension workers implementing programmes on the ground. In addition, our team was charged with developing the eligibility criteria for the Child Subsidy for Orphans in Poor and Vulnerable Households, as well as developing the case management processes for the Child Headed Household Subsidy and the Child Subsidy for Orphans in Poor and Vulnerable Households.
The Development Pathways team finalised the Operations Manual and Practical Guidelines, which were disseminated to assist in the implementation of the National Strategy for Basic Social Security.
Project timeline: July 2019 – 31st March 2021.