World Bank Project Appraisal Document - GAFSP

19. A rigorous approach to beneficiary selection has been designed based on a combination of direct
screening and the setting of an appropriate wage rate (self-targeting), to ensure that beneficiaries are
drawn from among the food-insecure. Prospective beneficiaries will be screened first using the
following readily observable household characteristics, which are closely associated with poverty and
food insecurity: female headed households, livestock ownership, employment status, household
dependency ratios, and access to remittances. All adult members of households that meet at least two
of the following six criteria will be eligible for participation: female-headed households; at least one
member formally registered as unemployed; no cattle; no family members abroad or remittance
income; three or more children under five years old; and seven or more people in the household.
Differing levels of vulnerability, as required for GAFSP reporting, will be assessed on the basis of
these criteria, using the following classification:
Food-insecure – two selection criteria
Severe Food Insecurity – four or more selection criteria
20. These criteria will be publicized and explained at jamoat and village level during awareness and
communication programs prior to the start of the public works. Jamoat level records on household
characteristics will be used as the basis for screening households, with the screening done jointly by
jamoat and community leaders, local representatives of the Agency for Employment, Social Protection
and Migration and the local NGOs employed to supervise and monitor the public works programs. As
a further check on the accuracy of this screening procedure, the local NGOs will also interview a 5%
sample of those on the beneficiary lists.
Public Works Payments to Beneficiaries
21. Following direct screening, prospective beneficiaries will be offered employment at a wage rate
at the lower end of the current wage rate for unskilled rural labor. This approach, used widely in public
works projects, discourages participation by higher income people while offering an adequate reward
to lower income people, and minimizes labor displacement and distortion of local labor markets. The
social assessment implemented during project preparation reported that rural wage rates for unskilled
labor range from 20-30 TJS/day up to 40-60 TJS/day. Government has recently announced that the
official minimum wage will be set at 200 TJS/month (before taxes) later this year, equivalent to
approximately 10 TJS/day.
22. On the basis of information on rural wages from the social assessment, the experience gained in
the original project and discussions with the Agency for Employment, Social Protection and
Migration, public works beneficiaries will be paid on a piece-work basis, at the rate of 17.50 TJS/m3
of earth excavated before taxes and 15 TJS/m3 after taxes8. Experience with the original project
shows that people excavated 1.8-2.0 m3/day, which is equivalent to a wage of 32-35 TJS/day before
tax and 27-30 TJS/day after tax, which is at the lower end of the wage rate for unskilled rural labor.
This piece-work rate is also slightly lower than that used in the original project of 20.00 TJS/m3,
which resulted in a disproportionate level of participation by higher income people, but is well above
the proposed new minimum wage. Experience from the original project also shows that this wage level
is unlikely to displace rural labor.
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Employer social security taxes of 25% are paid directly by the project. Beneficiaries will pay a further 1% social security
tax and a 13% income tax, which will be deducted from their payments at source.
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