Cash for Care? Researching the Linkages Between Social Protection and Children’s Care in Rwanda?

Social protection is increasingly considered to be a powerful intervention for responding to concerns around children’s care. This chapter considers the impact of social protection on child well-being, quality of care, family reunification, and the incentivization of foster or kinship care in Rwanda. The research focuses on the Vision 2020 Umurenge Programme (VUP) and two of its main components: 1) a regular cash transfer for those who are unable to work; and 2) a public works scheme for those who are able to work. Qualitative fieldwork was undertaken with children and their caregivers, as well as programme staff, to gain insight into the potential for social protection to support different elements of children’s care.