Social Protection

Background

Social protection initiatives are concerned with preventing, managing, and overcoming situations that adversely affect people's wellbeing, and/or lead to poverty, especially in vulnerable groups like the elderly.

Social protection in Myanmar has previously been fragmented due to the lack of policy, but in 2014 LIFT made significant progress with the development of a national social protection policy. Partner HelpAge International has engaged with the government providing technical input to develop a national social protection strategy, placing a social protection team in the offices of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement (MSWRR) in Nay Pyi Taw.

LIFT's Approach

LIFT achieves social protection both by specific, targeted activities, such as cash transfers, as well as ensuring that other activities, such as livelihood initiatives, are undertaken in ways that promote inclusion and equality.

With the government’s approval of the National Social Protection Strategic Plan in December 2014, eight flagship programmes regarding social assistance were prioritised by the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief, and Resettlement (MSWRR).

The NSPSP comprises eight flagship programmes :

1. Cash allowance for pregnant mothers and mother of children up to the age of two

2. Cash allowance for children aged 3-15

3. Disability allowance (until age 65)

4. School feeding programme for all school children

5. Public employment, vocational education and training

6. Social pension for individuals aged 65 and above

7. Older people’s Self-Help Groups

8. Integrated social protection services

HelpAge International worked to strengthen the ministry’s leadership role in translating the National Social Protection Strategic Plan into action. The project supported the ministry to draft a new cash transfer initiative for the elderly. Two policy briefs on social pension costing scenarios and a costing model were produced and shared with the ministry. The costing tables were used by the ministry in its effort to secure budget allocations for the flagship programmes. In early 2015, the ministry received MMK 500 million to initiate the flagship programmes. It used the money to make a one-time cash payment to anyone 90 years and older. Payments were made to 23,879 people. The project provided support to compile a database of eligible people.

The project supported the development of guidelines for cash transfers to people affected by the flooding in 2015 and provided training material related to the care of older people. The project also provided technical and financial support to draft the Law for Older People. The draft was revised following consultations supported by the project in previous quarters, and is now in its final stage of legal scrutiny prior to submission to parliament.

Cash transfers

In 2015, LIFT supported a number of social protection projects that piloted different cash delivery mechanisms in order to share results and learning.

HelpAge and the Ministry of Social Welfare conducted a one-year pilot cash transfer project with LIFT funding in two townships (Moegaung in Kachin State and Pyapon in the Ayeyarwady Region) for children, pregnant women, the disabled and the elderly. The project intended to provide practical experience and lessons to the Department of Social Welfare, as well as formulate an evidenced-based, feasible cash transfer delivery system in villages with minimal banking facilities, and where the government lacks experience in delivering regular cash transfers. If the nation-wide plan is implemented in the future the pilot experience will be applicable.

Two different approaches were used:

In Moegaung, people 80 years and older were included in the pilot. HelpAge devised a system to make cash payments to 736 older people, at a monthly rate of MMK 10,000. Beneficiary identification, cash delivery, cash transport to the villages was done by the General Administrative Department (village track administrators and their staff).
In Pyapon, pregnant women, people with children under two, and people age 70 and above were given cash grants. The beneficiaries included the parents of 520 children, 141 pregnant women and 290 older people. Delivery was initially done monthly for pregnant mothers and quarterly for older people. After the first six months, government staff suggested that the delivery cycle be changed to every three months for both mothers and older people. Delivery and verification of the beneficiary lists were done mainly by HelpAge International and the Department of Social Welfare.

Save the Children also piloted a maternal cash transfer programme in Rakhine starting in 2014. Early results are impressive. See details under Nutrition.

Developing social protection systems

Another approach to cash transfers was piloted through the Social Policy and Poverty Research Group (SPPRG) project, which provided funding for a pilot based on village-based social protection mechanisms (including maternal cash transfers) in six villages in Sagaing Region. The project published three reports: Use of Traditional Social Organisations for Social Protection and Development Activities; Social Cohesion; and Resilience.In June 2016, the project will start to train community-based social protection groups, and develop a social protection service delivery mechanism. The project is expected to generate policy-relevant knowledge and capacity for future implementation models.

Beneficiary welfare funds

Fourteen of the 41 LIFT microfinance partners have introduced a beneficiary welfare fund for clients, which is available to clients in case of death or natural disaster. During 2015, nearly 40,000 women received cash transfers of USD 1.6 million.