Effectiveness of Cash Transfer Program for Orphans and Vulnerable Children on Education of Benefeciary Households in Machakos Sub County

Abstract

Worldwide, there is an estimated 15 million children under the age of 18 years who are orphaned because of HIV/AIDS and other sicknesses. More than 11.6 million of these children come from Sub-Saharan Africa with challenges such as poor nutrition, poor shelter and lack of access to educational facilities. There are 2.6 million orphans and vulnerable children in Kenya. Cash Transfer program for Orphans and Vulnerable children was launched in Kenya in the year 2004 with an aim of strengthening household’s capacities to provide social protection through regular cash transfers to families with Orphans and Vulnerable Children. The purpose of this study therefore was to assess the effectiveness of the program on education of orphans and vulnerable children in Machakos sub-county. Three variables were studied which included the school enrolment, retention and transition from one level to another. The study was guided by the Social Risk management theory which sought to explain the Cash Transfer program as a mitigation mechanism against the risks faced by the poor families. The study used descriptive design to describe the effects of the program on the education of orphans and vulnerable children. The study targeted a total of 786 households registered under cash transfer program in Mumbuni and Kalama locations in Machakos sub-county from which 260 were sampled using stratified sampling technique. Descriptive statistics such as mean and percentages were used to analyze quantitative data while content analysis was employed to analyze qualitative data. Findings indicate that cash transfer program has a positive impact on school enrolment, retention and transition. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher recommended that the government should avoid delays in payment and to increase the amount of money disbursed to beneficiaries.