Community Work Programme: Meeting childhood food and nutrition - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Community Work Programme: Meeting childhood food and nutrition security challenges Shirin Motala and Peter Jacobs 28 th November 2013 Economic Performance and Development

“CWP is working wonders, feeding my children and is bringing in money”

Presentation Road Map • Study Purpose • HSRC interest in promoting innovations in CWP design • Contextualising it within the framework of social protection and labour policies • Why childhood food and nutrition security is important? • Food and Nutrition Security in SA – Policy Priority • Understanding SA’s Community Work Programme • Research Study overview • Findings • Achievements and Challenges • Conclusions

Purpose of the CWP Study To explore potential for CWP to contribute to strengthening and promoting integration of food security and child-wellbeing intervention s.

Why is HSRC interested in promoting innovations in CWP design? (1) • Ongoing policy-oriented research at the HSRC on human wellbeing and employment • EPD : Sustainable development and labour market dynamics; employment scenarios and food and nutrition security of children • Transition to sustainable employment in the context of high unemployment (especially among youth) and structural inequalities • Improvements in food and nutrition security- focusing on various interventions: employment (wage income), social grants, direct F&NS interventions, food pricing dynamics, etc.

Why is HSRC interested in promoting innovations in CWP design? (2) • Contribution of public sector employment programmes to: • short-term job creation • transition to sustainable employment in the long-run (labour market dynamics, human capital development, reduce costs of eco participation, etc) • EPD work on ‘ Developmental Social Policy ’: - explore options to coordinate or integrate government sponsored interventions for sustainable development - how to move beyond silo-approaches?

Social Protection and Active Labour Market Policies • Effective SPL policies occupy centre stage globally; • Social protection and labor systems, programs and policies buffer individuals from shocks; • While social protection and labor policies and programs are designed for individuals and families, they can also be broadly transformative — by providing a foundation for inclusive growth and social stability;

Policy Gaps in SPL • Evidence suggests however that there are four elemental gaps in SPL policies today:  in integration across programs and functions,  in access to SPL instruments,  in promotion to ensure access to jobs and opportunities, and  in global knowledge of effective SPL approaches.

Why is childhood food and nutrition security important? • A child’s mental and physical development is harmed if the child does not eat enough nutritious foods and this usually manifests in: • poor cognitive development, • weak educational performance, • increased risk of morbidity and • impaired immune functions. • Vitamin A deficiency is strongly associated with night blindness and high rates of early child mortality. • It is difficult to reverse stunting after age 2, and therefore early intervention essential.

Nutritional Deficit Impacts • 1000 day window of opportunity from pregnancy to 23 months – malnutrition during this period irreversible (LANCET Study) • Productivity losses, poor cognitive development, and increased health care costs in malnourished populations lead to significant economic losses. • For every 1 percent increase in height, adults will experience a 4 percent increase in total agricultural wages. • Eliminating anemia has been shown to increase adult productivity by 5 to 17 percent

Understanding Child Development

Food and nutrition security: International & national government priorities • 2009, peak of global economic crisis - undernourished people surpassed 1 billion • MDG 1 – target to reduce proportion of those in hunger by 2015 • SA Government objective to halve unemployment and poverty by 2014 • Food and nutrition security for all is foundational goal. • Fundamental building block for human participation • Nutrition is key foundation that influence effectiveness of other interventions

Food and Nutrition security in SA?  South Africa is one of the top 20 countries with the highest burden of under nutrition.  GHS suggests that household food insecurity, or hunger, has fallen dramatically since 2001.

However nutrition levels have not improved that much…. • Average South African consumes less than 4 of 9 food groups – min should be 6 • Nationally 45% of children had an inadequate zinc status (NFCS, 2005). One quarter of women, and 2/3 children nationally had poor vitamin A status. About a third of women and children iron deficient • 38% of S. Africans did not meet daily energy requirements • Under-nutrition is critical issue for SA women, (1/3 of young women are HIV+)

Factors contributing to good nutritional outcomes • Access to essential nutrients in appropriate amounts • Equitable access to nutritious food • Knowledge of nutrition • Adequate health and access to health care services • Regular developmental screening for children

Origins of CWP • In 2005, India passed a law guaranteeing every rural households with unemployed adults willing to do unskilled work up to 100 days of work per annum, at minimum wage rates - The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) • World first in terms of “right to work” • Over 55 million households now participate in the programme, with significant impacts on poverty in rural India. • 3 objectives – provide wage employment; strengthen rural governance (transparency and accountability); strengthening sustainable livelihoods – asset creation.

Why the need for CWP in SA? • SA has one of the highest unemployment rates globally (25.2% or 4,3 million people) • If we include discouraged work seekers then its 32.7% or 6,2 million people. • Uneven distribution – former Bantustans and informal settlements e.g. 58% in Umzumbe • High levels of inequality (structural, spatial, capacity) makes it difficult to create jobs and for rural areas to play the role of absorbing unemployed and food security • No safety net for unemployed adults if they have never been formally employed • Need to break cycle of “discouraged work seekers” – sector is growing annually (50% of 35 year olds and under have never worked – give back dignity etc. • •

Current Policy Context • SA has already implemented a public employment scheme through EPWP • EPWP Phase 1 (2004-2009) reached 1 million work opportunities • Phase 2 (now till 2014) – 4.5 million work opportunities – 680 000 FTE • Targets low in relation to problem • Many challenges to scaling up EPWP (sustainable employment, exit strategies? Targeting Etc.) • Exit strategies almost non existent

CWP - SA • 2007 - pilot, outside government with donor funding (DFID), Steering Committee from Cabinet & implemented by TIPS • Currently operated via COGTA • NOT an employment guarantee like India • It offers 2 days employment per week (8 days pm) at R50 pppd in 2011 • From 2009 to Sept 2010 – 75 000 participants in all provinces in 55 sites • Currently (March 2013) 155 000 participants in 74 sites. • Target to establish one CWP in each municipality by 2014. • MTEF grow CWP to 1 million participants 2015

The SA Model • A site is between 2-10 wards in a municipality • 1000 people employed • Work to be done decided by community through participatory processes • Must be useful work and benefit the community, not individuals • Work includes home-based care, food gardens, teacher assistance, ECD assistance, environmental services and the creation and maintenance of community assets such as parks, graveyards, schools, clinics, churches, secondary and village roads, and water pipelines • Sites have supervisors and clerks (1;25 ratio)

Conceptual Framework for Study  Enhanced access to a social package (social wage/social floor) can contribute to lowering the costs of transitioning people into a sustainable livelihoods.  Well developed and targeted interventions in early childhood set the platform for future development outcomes.

HSRC Research on CWP Innovations • Qualitative study – focused on 16 selected sites nationally – purpose built sampling. • NOT an EVALUATION • Focused on food security, early childhood development interventions and home based care and support.

Methods • Ethics Protocol: reflection of respect – e.g. informed consent (right to choose if you want to participate) , manner in which research is conducted and information collected must not harm a person • Desk top review • Quantitative Data analysis • Data collection: Interviews, focus groups, review of documents and participation in CWP workshops; • Sample Selection: 16 sites out of 77 sites (56 we identified) – purposive. Criteria included rural, urban, geographical, type of work undertaken • Site based and telephonic interviews