WFP - UNICEF Joint Programme on Social Protection in Uganda 2019-2024

WFP in cooperation with UNICEF has applied to Sida for 477 000 000 SEK (49 499 474 USD) to support implementation of the programme "Child-Sensitive Social Protection in Refugee-Hosting Districts of West Nile, Uganda" during the period 2019-2024. The programme aims to achieve increased resilience and social protection, improved health and nutrition for vulnerable children and mothers in West Nile. It has a focus on the nexus between humanitarian support and long-term development cooperation through strengthening the inclusion of refugees in existing national systems for health and social protection. The overarching philosophy of the programme is to not create new programmes and systems, but to strengthen and complement existing, national social protection and health programmes and systems with a strong focus on making such systems more efficient and effective and more child- and nutrition-sensitive. This approach seeks not only to make program results sustainable, but also to help leverage the efforts and resources of these national programmes, services and systems to achieve enhanced results, in particular in terms of resilience, health and nutrition.The programme objectives are improved economic inclusion of households, improved maternal and child nutrition and improved maternal and child health. Programme outcomes are pursued at two levels; the level of direct beneficiaries of programme activities and the level of systems. The programme aims to affect the systems level through achieving more efficient, transparent, child- and nutrition-sensitive social protection systems as well as more efficient child- and nutrition-sensitive health systems. The systems-strengthening support will link to ongoing social protection programmes (such as SAGE, Social Assistance Grants for Empowerment, NUSAF3, Northern Uganda Socail Assistance Fund, DRDIP, Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project) and will cover essential gaps in current health care and social protection systems.Behavioural change communication directed to beneficiaries will support increased demand for services and changed behaviour that improves resilience, health and nutrition.The outcomes for targeted beneficiaries will be:- Increased or more secure income, through cash transfers- Improved access to markets, with lower prices and higher diversity - Improved dietary diversity- Improved access to quality health services- Improved health-seeking behaviourThe new aspect of the programme is the social protection component with direct cash transfers to beneficiaries. This component is expected to add to efficient poverty reduction for vulnerable households and to provide an improved situation for both refugees and the refugee hosting population which can decrease tension in these societies where the risk for conflicts over insufficient resources and services has increased after the refugee influx. The programme also aims to affect markets to achieve increased availability and diversity of essential goods at lower prices.The gender perspective is clearly integrated in the programme and an in-depth analysis will be undertaken during the first year of the linkages between gender, disability, health and nutrition in the selected districts. The programme will be implemented through a flexible approach, where implementation will be developed and adapted in close collaboration with key actors in existing government structures at national and local level to ensure sustainability. The integrated approach combining efforts of WFP and UNICEF is also expected to improve efficiency, quality and long-term sustainability.