BIG Pilot Project - Assessment Report - BIG Coalition Namibia

Section 2: Impact AssessmentHouseholds with substantial migrationIt is worthwhile to also look at children living in householdswhich experienced substantial migration duringthe second six months of the study. In these householdsthe child malnutrition rate was reduced to 22%in July 2008 but some of these gains were unfortunatelyreversed by November 2008 as the rate climbedback up to 27%. This is a worrying trend and confirmsthe direct interdependence between the total householdbudget available and the child nutrition rate. In asituation such as the Otjivero-Omitara pilot project,where the BIG is not paid universally, because it doesnot cater for in-migration, the benefits to intended beneficiariesare dramatically diluted. Other poor people–usually from the extended family – move due to desperationto where the cash is. A similar pattern is well documented,with the usage of the old age pensions. Whilethe money is intended for the well being of the elderly,often whole families depend and live on the old agepension as their only income, leaving no choice to theelderly but to share the little they have with childrenand grandchildren.Note however, that even if the analysis includes all thechildren, there is still a large and significant improvementbetween the baseline in 2007 and the end of yearone of the BIG.After the introductionof the BIG in2008, theclinic reporteda fivefoldincomeincreasefrom N$ 250per monthto nearly N$1300,- permonth.2.10 General HealthA community such as Otjivero-Omitara suffers from avicious circle of malnutrition, poverty, ill-health andlack of human development. All these factors are interconnected.An intervention such as BIG is likely tobreak this vicious cycle.The situation in 2007 was desperate. Poverty preventedmany residents of Otjivero-Omitara from seeking treatmentfor illnesses. The nurse explained that many wereunable to pay the clinic fees of N$ 4. She explained thatshe would still treat people 'on credit', but many apparentlyfelt too ashamed to go to the clinic without pay-56