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Objectives of the project
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The data files described in this documentation correspond to a household sample survey carried out in two rounds (baseline in 2011 and follow-up in 2012) with the objective of evaluating the impact of the BOTA Foundation Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme in small and medium-sized rural areas in Almaty oblast, Kazakhstan.
In addition to impact evaluation, this project also had the following objectives:
- Operational evaluation: Analysis and recommendations on the way in which the programme is being implemented.
- Targeting analysis: Assessment of how effectively the programme's targeting process is reaching the households it is intending to support.
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What is the BOTA CCT?
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Operational from 2009, this programme offers a regular monthly income to poor households with the aim of improving the lives of children by increasing access to education and other social sector services.
To be eligible for the programme, a household must contain a member that matches one of the four following categories of beneficiary:
- Children aged four and over up until they are eligible to start school (classified by BOTA as the 'Early Childhood Development' (ECD) category);
- Pregnant women, or women with infants up to the age of six months ('Pregnant and Lactating Women' (PLW) category);
- Children with disabilities ('Home-Based Care', HBC);
- Young people aged 16-19 who have completed school and are starting work ('Livelihoods' category)
In addition to meeting the criteria relevant to the beneficiary groups mentioned, possessing the right documentation and living in the area where BOTA is operating, the household must also be classified as 'poor' in order to enrol in the programme. In the application process this is assessed by way of a short computer test administered by BOTA representatives called the 'Proxy Means Test', which aims to maximise inclusion and minimise exclusion of the poorest 30% of the population. Once enrolled, beneficiaries receive the cash for the permitted period of time relevant to their category, provided that they meet specified conditions such as attendance at pre-school or at training sessions.