Process Evaluation of Zimbabwe’s Harmonised Social Cash Transfer Programme

Cash transfers empower the beneficiary households to increase their consumption to a level which exceeds the food poverty line, reduce child labor, increase school enrolment and attendance, and access basic social services. Zimbabwe's Harmonisation Social Cash Transfer (HSCT) program provides cash to the most vulnerable households across the country, targeting labor-constrained households that are also food poor.

AIR conducted both an impact evaluation of HSCT, assessing short-term impacts to recipients' food and nutritional intake and use of health and education services, and also long-term impacts to recipients' health, wealth, and educational attainment; and an implementation evaluation, assessing program fidelity and generalizability for further scaling.

Overarching recommendations based on the results of the process evaluation include:

• Increase program understanding among staff and beneficiary communities.
• Revise the program communication strategy so that all involved parties are continuously clear on the expectations of the program as well as the available resources that the program provides.
• Strengthen the monitoring and accountability structures around the program.
• Emphasize and create norms around harmonizing the program to complement other existing assistance programs.