To reduce poverty more effectively and at the same time improve the nutrition and health of vulnerable children (< 2 years) and pregnant/breastfeeding women and adolescent girls, the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services (MCDSS), with technical support from UNICEF (under the United Nations Programme for Social Protection (UNJPSP – Phase II) and financially supported by Swedish International Development Aid (SIDA), the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) and Irish Aid, is currently introducing the 1,000 days in Social Cash Transfer (SCT) pilot. The pilot focuses on the first 1,000 days of life (from conception until 24 months old) — a crucial period in which nutrition is vital to ensure optimal child development. It integrates cash transfers with other multi-sectoral services and is currently being implemented to 12,500 households across four pilot districts in different areas of Zambia (Chipata, Kalabo, Mpika, and Mwinilunga).
A consortium of researchers led by IDS in collaboration with the Department of Social Work & Sociology (SWS), University of Zambia is using a combination of implementation research and a quasi-experimental (difference-in-difference) design to assess both effectiveness and implementation outcomes of the 1,000 days in SCT pilot.
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