Assignment name:

Long Term / Fourteen Year Follow-Up Study of the Child Grant Program (CGP): 

 

Approx. value of the contract (in current US$):

US$ 260,000

 

 

 

Country:  Zambia

Location within country: Kalabo, Kaputa, Shang’ombo Districs

Duration of assignment (months): 4

 

 

 

Name of Client: American Institutes for Research (AIR), UNICEF, Ministry of Community Development and Social Services (MCDSS)

Total No. of staff-months of the assignment: 80.1

 

 

 

Contact Person, Title/Designation, Tel. No./Address:

 

Sudhanshu (Ashu) Handa, Kenan Eminent Professor, Department of Public  Policy, 3IE Senior Fellow, Carolina Population Center Fellow, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC; , USA

Email: [email protected] , Phone: 919.260.1169

 

 

Start date (month/year): June 2024

Completion date (month/year): November 2024

No. of professional staff-months provided by your consulting firm/organization or your sub consultants: 7.5

 

 

Name of associated Consultants, if any: N/A

 

 

 

 

 

Name of senior professional staff of your consulting firm/organization  involved and designation and/or functions performed (e.g. Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader):

Prof. Gelson Tembo – Survey Coordinator/Principal Investigator (PI); Rodgers Musonda – Master Trainer/Field Manager; Agness Tiwepo Mwanza – Master Trainer/Field Manager; Liseteli Ndiyoi – Data Manager/IT Specialist; Festus Tembo – Financial Manager

 

Description of Project:

The Long-term Follow-up of Child Grant Program Recipients in Zambia project focused on assessing the long-term impacts of Zambia’s Child Grant Program (CGP) on household and individual wellbeing. The study involved 2,520 young adults and 2,520 caregivers from the first recipient cohort of the CGP, originally surveyed in 2010. Over a span of 14 years, the research team revisited these households to evaluate the effects of income support in early childhood on cognitive, non-cognitive, and emotional skills. The study aimed to provide valuable insights into how early-life interventions, such as cash grants, influenced developmental outcomes and life trajectories. Participants completed questionnaires on topics such as education, health, emotional well-being, and household economic conditions. This longitudinal study was supported by the Hewlett Foundation and conducted collaboratively by Palm Associates Limited and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill​​ ​

 

Description of actual services provided by your staff within the assignment:

In the Long-term Follow-up of Child Grant Program Recipients in Zambia, Palm Associates provided extensive data collection services. The firm was responsible for recruiting and training enumerators, ensuring they were proficient in administering detailed questionnaires tailored to caregivers and adolescents. They conducted interviews with households in rural districts such as Kalabo, Kaputa, and Shangombo, focusing on economic activities, health, education, and well-being, as well as cognitive and non-cognitive skill assessments. Palm Associates ensured adherence to ethical standards, including obtaining informed consent from both caregivers and children. Data collection was done using Computer-Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI), with rigorous quality control measures like high-frequency checks to ensure data accuracy. The firm also managed the logistical aspects of tracking participants from previous survey rounds and delivered clean datasets for analysis. These services were instrumental in providing a comprehensive understanding of the long-term impacts of the Child Grant Program on adolescent development