Table.
Response of cash transfer programmes to COVID-19 crisis in Colombia, Brazil, and South Africa
| Familias en Acción (Colombia) | Jóvenes en Acción (Colombia) | Bolsa Familia Program (Brazil) | Child Support Grant (South Africa) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Programme characteristics before COVID-19 | ||||
| Population coverage | 2·7 million families (17·5% of total population) | 208 430 people aged 16–24 years (2·4% of the total population in this age range) | 14·3 million households (20–25% of the total population) | 12 million children aged 0–17 years (61% of the total population in this age range) |
| Ways of identifying households or individuals | Geographical; various administration identification systems, including SISBÉN, census lists of indigenous people, registry of conflict victims, and networks for overcoming extreme poverty (eg, UNIDOS) | By age; various administration identification systems, including SISBÉN and Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familia for youths in protective measures, census lists of indigenous people, registry of conflict victims, networks for overcoming extreme poverty (eg, UNIDOS), and registers for Familias en Acción | Geographical; income threshold (monthly per capita <$33); household characteristics (pregnant mothers; children aged 0–17 years) | Income threshold (US$3275 per year for a single person or $6555 for a couple) |
| Amount of cash per household or individual | $17–33 per month | $18–54 monthly for tuition fee and $160 twice a year for staying successfully in an education programme and for performing well | $35 per month (average) | $28 per month |
| Conditional or unconditional* | Conditional | Conditional | Both | Unconditional |
| Conditionalities | Child health checks; regular school attendance | Registration in educational programme; no disciplinary or academic penalties; completion of academic period; achievement of passing mark | Medical consultations; vaccinations; school attendance | Not applicable |
| Government investment into programme | 0·2% of GDP | 0·004% of GDP | 0·4% of GDP | 7·5% of GDP |
| Method of money administration | Bank account transfer (option of money transfer for collection if beneficiary does not have bank account) | Bank account transfer (option of money transfer for collection when beneficiaries cannot access financial products) | Electronic card or bank account transfer | Collection at bank, pay points, or retailers |
| Changes in response to COVID-19 | ||||
| Threshold for inclusion (extended population coverage) | Payments to households that were in the administration register but previously excluded because of non-compliance with conditionalities | Expanded coverage to 296 222 people (some of this coverage was due to an expansion of the age range to 16–28 years, which was planned before COVID-19) | Inclusion of 1·2 million families that were on waiting list | Unchanged |
| Payment amount or provision | Three additional payments of $39 per household | Two additional payments of $95 per beneficiary | Three additional payments of $115–230 per month for 3 months; depending on local authority resources and distribution options: food basket, voucher, or card for families of children who receive free school meals | Each caregiver received an additional $16·5 in May, 2020, and an additional $26 from June-October, 2020, regardless of number of children; all other grantees received an additional $13 for 6 months (May-October, 2020) |
| Conditionalities | Waived | Waived | Waived for 120 days (from March 20, 2020) | Not applicable |
SISBÉN=Sistema de Identificación de Potenciales Beneficiarios de Programas Sociales.
*
Programmes that set out conditions that need to be met by the beneficiary household in order to receive the payment are called conditional; programmes that provide the payment without conditions are called unconditional.