Building Shock-Responsive Social Protection Systems: Lesotho’s Emergency Response Experience

The Context

The Response to the Emergency

Focus Group Discussions during implementation of the emergency response indicated that the joint support has enhanced households’ access to food and has mitigated negative coping mechanisms, such as withdrawing children from schools.

The UN, World Bank and DFID

A joint response by the Lesotho Government, UNICEF, FAO, World Bank, WFP and NGOs used the system to target, complement and coordinate emergency activities.

in total,approximately 95,400 families (477,000 people) were provided with emergency support.

The emergency response was two-fold; Emergency cash top-

Lessons LearnedBuilding a shock-responsive system

is pivotal in addressing chronic and emergency shocks efficiently and effectively. Lesotho’s NISSA structure and systems contributed to a rapid response which reached the most vulnerable people and the poorest of the poor.

The two-fold approach complement-ed with the ‘cash plus’ intervention

Expansion of NISSA to all 365,000 rural households.

Decentralisation of NISSA to the district level to periodically update the eligibility status of vulnerable families to enroll in or exclude from cash assistance programmes.

Explore ways of linking emergency preparedness and response to existing social protection system.

POPULATION 2 MILLION(2016 Population Census).

ChILdreN Are The MOsT AffeCTed 52% are deprived of basic social services; and 46% are income poor

POverTy rATe 57%

(UN Common Country Assessment 2017).

hIgh hIv PrevALeNCe 25% among adults; the second highest in the worldhIgh yOUTh UNeMPLOyMeNT (15–34 years old) ChrONIC fOOd ANd NUTrITION INseCUrITy (UN Common Country Assessment 2017).

heAvy drOUghT IN 2016 led to increased food insecurity, malnutrition and child rights abuses; 679,437 people were affected, of which 477,000 people required emergency assistance

(National Child Poverty Study, UNICEF, 2011). (Lesotho Vulnerability Assessment Committee, 2016).

sTrONg COMMITMeNT TO sOCIAL PrOTeCTION TO ALLevIATe POverTy ANd INeqUALITy deMON-sTrATed sINCe 2009

* 33%

ups for Child Grant Programme recipients using the NISSA. Some 27,000 families with approximately 80,000 children were provided with emergency cash top-ups

Humanitarian cash and food transfers reached 181,000 acutely vulnerable people in areas not covered by NISSA

Both approaches were complemented by a ‘Cash Plus’ intervention for households (home gardening kits and training on gardening techniques).

are carrying out evaluations of the impact/diagnostics of the emergency response.

A Child Grant Programme evaluation showed positive impacts including a reduction in morbidity, large increase in birth registrations, increased local economic activity and increased school enrolment, that it is affordable and can be scaled up. (Ministry of Social Development 2015).

Results

LesOThO’s sOCIAL PrOTeCTION sysTeM

Next Steps

is a good example of addressing short- and long-term vulnerabilities in Lesotho.

Robust coordination between and among humanitarian stakeholders, led by Government, is fundamental to avoid duplication and double-dipping.

Partnerships which leverage the comparative advantages of different agencies are key in addressing the multiple needs of affected populations.

Nationwide integration, management and coordination of the Government’s cash assistance programmes using NISSA.

Establish e-payment systems to enhance the cost-effectiveness of cash disbursement.

Expansion of Social Protection ‘Plus’ interventions that address chronic poverty as well as emergency shocks.

Application of NISSA in urban areas.

gINI COeffICIeNT 0.53(UN Common Country Assessment 2017).

sTATe Of eMergeNCy deCLAred by gOverNMeNT Of LesOThO (December 2016). ‘Poor’ and ‘very poor’ rural households rely on casual labour for up to 40% of their incomes, which makes them highly vulnerable to seasonal shocks.

LesOThO Is ONe Of The POOresT ANd MOsT UNeqUAL COUNTrIes IN sUb-sAhArAN AfrICA

*

1

2

NeTWOrK

hArdWAre

MIs server MINIsTry UsersMINIsTry Users

sINgLe NATIONAL regIsTry

sMArT CeNsUs PUbLIC AssIsTANCe, ChILd grANT,

OrPhANs ANd vULNerAbLe

ChILdreN, OLd Age PeNsION

hOUsehOLds

hOUsehOLd’s LOCATION ANd Id

CONTACT INfO

eNUMerATOr INfO

eNUMerATOr AssessMeNT

hOUsehOLd rOsTer

hOUsehOLd INfO

fOOd seCUrITy & vULNerAbILITy

Community based Targeting}

WeLL OffMIddLe

POOr very POOr

rePOrTsINdICATOrs

MANAgeMeNT INfO

NIssA MeThOdOLOgyCOMMUNITy AWAreNess-rAIsINg Make use of Pitso, public meetings called by chief and councillor

Election of VACsKnowledge sharing on targeting process

hOUsehOLd LIsTINg ANd sUrvey Census approach – exhaustiveCollects information on household demography and programme benefits

COMMUNITy bAsed TArgeTINg Community awareness-raising

PrOxIMITy MeANs TesTINg Targeted at poor and very poor

CAse MANAgeMeNT (vALIdATION ANd grIevANCes)

Return post-Proxy Means Testing list of eligible households to the villagesProcessing of complaints through grievance mechanisms

PrOxy MeANs

TesTINg

National Information System for

Social Assistance (NISSA)

A single integrated web-based database to identify, compile and store household

information on vulnerability.

A single tool for administering and coordinating social protection programmes.

NISSA was designed to address the challenges identified in 2013: expensive, duplication and

fragmentation of programmes, weak coordination mechanisms, inclusion and

exclusion errors, corruption.

Administered by the Department for Social Development (established 2012),

and will be fully decentralised by 2019.

9% Of gdP (gdP $2.5 bILLION IN 2015) sPeNT ON sOCIAL PrOTeCTION (UN Common Country Assessment 2017)

Key PrOgrAMMe INCLUdes: Unconditional child grants Old age assistance free primary school education National school feeding programme Agricultural subsidies

COvers AbOUT 50% Of ALL rUrAL hOUsehOLds IN The COUNTry

CONsOLIdATed, INTegrATed ANd hArMONIsed NATIONAL POLICIes, sTrATegIes ANd PrOgrAMMes WhICh Are ALsO Age sPeCIfIC

CAsh dIsbUrsed UsINg A seCUrITy servICe PrOvIder, bANKs ANd MObILe PAyMeNTs

CAsh TrANsfers Are LINKed TO OTher sUPPOrT sUCh LIveLIhOOd INITIATIves ANd PUbLIC servICes, ALsO CALLed sOCIAL PrOTeCTION ‘PLUs’