Manicaland Cash Transfer Trial for Children in Zimbabwe

NCT00966849 | Completed Results

• 1 other identifier: inh051
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 4,043
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine whether cash transfers (conditional and unconditional) can improve health and social outcomes amongst children living in vulnerable households in Manicaland, eastern Zimbabwe. The study hypotheses are:

1. 1.Cash transfers will increase the percentage of vulnerable children aged 0-4 years with a birth certificate.
2. 2.Cash transfers will increase the percentage of vulnerable children aged 0-4 years with up-to-date vaccinations.
3. 3.Cash transfers will increase the percentage of vulnerable children aged 6-12 years attending primary school at least 80% of days per month.

Conditions

Vaccination; Education; Birth Registration; Financial Support

Keywords

Randomized Controlled Trial; Financial Support; Poverty; Child, Orphaned; HIV

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Proportion of Children Under 5 Years in Vulnerable Households That Have a Birth Certificate

  1 year

• Proportion of Children Under 5 Years in Vulnerable Households That Have Up-to-date Vaccinations

  1 year

• Proportion of Children Aged 6-12 Years That Attended Primary School 80% of Days in the Last Month

  1 year

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Proportion of Children Aged 13-17 Years That Attended Secondary School 80% of Days in the Last Month

  1 year

Study Arms (3)

Conditional Cash Transfer

EXPERIMENTAL

Vulnerable households in this arm will receive conditional cash transfers. A standard agricultural package (e.g. seeds, fertiliser etc) will be made available. Parenting skills classes will also be made available. Standard social services will continue in the area.

Other: Conditional Cash Transfer; Other: Standard Agricultural Package; Other: Parenting Skills Classes

Unconditional Cash Transfer

EXPERIMENTAL

Vulnerable households in this arm will receive unconditional cash transfers. A standard agricultural package (e.g. seeds, fertiliser etc) will be made available. Parenting skills classes will also be made available. Standard social services will continue in the area.

Other: Unconditional Cash Transfers; Other: Standard Agricultural Package; Other: Parenting Skills Classes

Control

OTHER

Vulnerable households in this arm will not receive cash transfers. A standard agricultural package (e.g. seeds, fertiliser etc) will be made available. Parenting skills classes will also be made available. Standard social services will continue in the area.

Other: Standard Agricultural Package; Other: Parenting Skills Classes

Interventions

Conditional Cash Transfer OTHER

Households will receive bimonthly payments of US$18 plus US$4 per child under 18 years living in the house up to a maximum of 3 children i.e. transfers will vary from $22 to $30. Households will only be given the cash if they comply with the following conditions: * An application for a birth certificate must be made for all children under 18 years in the household who do not already have a birth certificate, including all newborn children within 3 months of birth. * All children under 5 years in the household must be up-to-date with vaccinations. * All children under 5 years must attend a growth monitoring clinic twice per year. * All children 6-17 years in the household attended school at least 90% of days in the last month. * At least one adult from each household attended at least 2 of the 3 most recent parenting skills classes.

Conditional Cash Transfer

Unconditional Cash Transfers OTHER

Households will receive bimonthly payments of US$18 plus US$4 per child under 18 years living in the house up to a maximum of 3 children i.e. transfers will vary from $22 to $30. Households will not be required to comply with conditions in order to receive the cash.

Unconditional Cash Transfer

Standard Agricultural Package OTHER

A standard agricultural package (e.g. seeds, fertiliser etc.) will be distributed in all study arms including the control arm as a gesture of goodwill to all those participating in the study.

Conditional Cash Transfer; Control; Unconditional Cash Transfer

Parenting Skills Classes OTHER

2-3 parenting skills classes will be held annually in each study cluster.

Conditional Cash Transfer; Control; Unconditional Cash Transfer

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: Up to 17 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• household is in the poorest quintile of households (20%) at baseline OR
• household contains one or more orphans at baseline OR
• the household head is under 18 years of age at baseline OR
• household contains a chronically ill member OR
• household contains a disabled member
• A household will be defined as individuals that live within the same homestead and eat from the same pot.

You may not qualify if:

• Households already receiving cash transfers for orphans or vulnerable children (OVC) will not be eligible to enroll in the pilot programme.
• During the trial, households that do not qualify at baseline but whose conditions later change such that they become eligible to participate in the pilot will not be able to enroll.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Imperial College London: lead
• Biomedical Research and Training Institute: collaborator
• Catholic Relief Services: collaborator
• UNICEF: collaborator
• Wellcome Trust: collaborator
• World Bank: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Biomedical Research and Training Institute

Harare, Zimbabwe

Location

Related Publications (8)

• Robertson L, Mushati P, Skovdal M, Eaton JW, Makoni JC, Crea T, Mavise G, Dumba L, Schumacher C, Sherr L, Nyamukapa C, Gregson S. Involving Communities in the Targeting of Cash Transfer Programs for Vulnerable Children: Opportunities and Challenges. World Dev. 2014 Feb;54(100):325-337. doi: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2013.09.002.

  PMID: 24748713 BACKGROUND

• Robertson L, Mushati P, Eaton JW, Sherr L, Makoni JC, Skovdal M, Crea T, Mavise G, Dumba L, Schumacher C, Munyati S, Nyamukapa C, Gregson S. Household-based cash transfer targeting strategies in Zimbabwe: are we reaching the most vulnerable children? Soc Sci Med. 2012 Dec;75(12):2503-8. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.09.031. Epub 2012 Oct 5.

  PMID: 23103074 BACKGROUND

• Robertson L, Mushati P, Eaton JW, Dumba L, Mavise G, Makoni J, Schumacher C, Crea T, Monasch R, Sherr L, Garnett GP, Nyamukapa C, Gregson S. Effects of unconditional and conditional cash transfers on child health and development in Zimbabwe: a cluster-randomised trial. Lancet. 2013 Apr 13;381(9874):1283-92. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)62168-0. Epub 2013 Feb 27.

  PMID: 23453283 RESULT

• Crea TM, Reynolds AD, Sinha A, Eaton JW, Robertson LA, Mushati P, Dumba L, Mavise G, Makoni JC, Schumacher CM, Nyamukapa CA, Gregson S. Effects of cash transfers on Children's health and social protection in Sub-Saharan Africa: differences in outcomes based on orphan status and household assets. BMC Public Health. 2015 May 28;15:511. doi: 10.1186/s12889-015-1857-4.

  PMID: 26017676 RESULT

• Skovdal M, Robertson L, Mushati P, Dumba L, Sherr L, Nyamukapa C, Gregson S. Acceptability of conditions in a community-led cash transfer programme for orphaned and vulnerable children in Zimbabwe. Health Policy Plan. 2014 Oct;29(7):809-17. doi: 10.1093/heapol/czt060. Epub 2013 Sep 9.

  PMID: 24019380 RESULT

• Skovdal M, Mushati P, Robertson L, Munyati S, Sherr L, Nyamukapa C, Gregson S. Social acceptability and perceived impact of a community-led cash transfer programme in Zimbabwe. BMC Public Health. 2013 Apr 15;13:342. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-13-342.

  PMID: 23587136 RESULT

• Fenton R, Nyamukapa C, Gregson S, Robertson L, Mushati P, Thomas R, Eaton JW. Wealth differentials in the impact of conditional and unconditional cash transfers on education: findings from a community-randomised controlled trial in Zimbabwe. Psychol Health Med. 2016 Dec;21(8):909-17. doi: 10.1080/13548506.2016.1140903. Epub 2016 Feb 22.

  PMID: 26899880 RESULT

• Schaefer R, Thomas R, Robertson L, Eaton JW, Mushati P, Nyamukapa C, Hauck K, Gregson S. Spillover HIV prevention effects of a cash transfer trial in East Zimbabwe: evidence from a cluster-randomised trial and general-population survey. BMC Public Health. 2020 Oct 23;20(1):1599. doi: 10.1186/s12889-020-09667-5.

  PMID: 33097016 DERIVED

Limitations and Caveats

The study was done shortly after a period of economic crisis in Zimbabwe which may limit this generalizability.

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Professor Simon Gregson
• Organization: Imperial College London

Sajgregson@aol.com

+4402075943279

Study Officials

• Laura Robertson, MSc

  Imperial College London

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Simon Gregson, DPhil

  Imperial College London

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Constance Nyamukapa, PhD

  Imperial College London

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Shungu Munyati, MSc

  Biomedical Research and Training Institute

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Phyllis Mushati, MSc

  Biomedical Research and Training Institute

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: Yes

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 26, 2009
• First Posted: August 27, 2009
• Study Start: August 1, 2009
• Primary Completion: February 1, 2011
• Study Completion: February 1, 2011
• Last Updated: August 2, 2019
• Results First Posted: July 22, 2019

Record last verified: 2019-07

Locations

ZI (1)