SOCIAL PROTECTION REFORM
The Case of Belize
Belize in Context
Area: 8,867 sq. miles
 Population: 322,100
 Pop. Growth Rate : 3.4
 Fertility Rate: 2.9
 Life expectancy : 72.5
 GDP per capita: US$4090
 Multi-ethnic, Multi-lingual
society

Belize in Context 2
Poverty rate: 41% population, 32% HH
 Indigent Rate: 15.8% population, 11% HH
 Unemployment Rate: 8.5 %
Females:13.1%,
Youths: 24%
 Female Headed HH: 24%
 External debt : 97% of GDP

Indigent HH
Indigent Population
Belize spends a significant amount of
resources on social protection (5.7 % of GDP),
yet this spending has not translated into
results!
Evidenced by the large number of poor families
that remain vulnerable in Belize.
The poor and vulnerable in Belize face a
series of important risks resulting from:
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Macroeconomic disturbances and consequent
variations in employment, income, and consumption
Microeconomic conditions that expose the poorest
families to a series of adverse situations.
Natural disasters
The Social Protection System in
Belize was found to be inadequate to
address the risks these vulnerable
groups face.
Key Problems

Poor resource allocation
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Weak targeting
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Low program effectiveness.
GOB Social Policy Goal
Promote key social sector reforms within a
framework of fiscal sustainability and
macroeconomic stability in order to achieve
the social sector goals set out in Belize’s
National Poverty Elimination Strategy.
Specific Aims
1. Maintain sound macroeconomic policies
2. Improve the quality and coverage of primary health care to the most
vulnerable population
3. Improve the quality of teachers and equity in secondary education
financing
4. Improve the capacity to target, coordinate,
monitor and evaluate social services
5. Enhance fiscal transparency and responsibility for fiscal sustainability.
Strengthening Social
Safety Nets
Conditional Cash Transfer Programme
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Cash transfer programme targeted indigent families
with children, elderly and persons with disabilities
Reform started in 2008 – doubling the size of the
benefit, number of beneficiaries and introducing
concept of co-responsibilities.
Refocusing of the programme aims- poverty
alleviation and human capital development
CCT (2)
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Benefit is US$22 monthly per person to a maximum of 6
persons.
Co-responsibilities :
- 85% school attendance for children 5-17
years old
- 100% immunization for children 0-5 years old
- pregnant mothers access ante-natal service
starting in the first trimester
- 2 health checks per year for persons 60 years
and over
Programme Upgrade in 2011
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Renamed BOOST : Building Opportunities for Our Social
Transformation
Increase coverage to 6000 more beneficiaries
Introduction of a graduated benefit scheme for children attending
school
Payment of benefit through credit unions
Improved targeting mechanism via refined
PMT
Education Fee Waivers
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$300 registration fee waivers introduced in 2008
for poor first and second year secondary school
students.
All children in the poorest districts of Toledo and
Stann Creek automatically qualify
Public Assistance Programme

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In kind assistance to poor families – food, rent,
medical services, education expenses, funeral
expenses
Ceilings of benefits increased
Families can be eligible for ongoing assistance
within a case management framework
The Pantry Programme
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Subsidized food programme
Targets the working poor
Families can purchase of a basic basket of goods
for half price
Being piloted with 1300 families in the largest and
poorest urban center with the highest crime rates.
Administered by the Salvation Army
SISB
Targeting System to reach the most poor
Beneficiary Targeting Index
Weight family poverty level
Questionnaire
Design to capture information to be
collected in each household members.
Database Integration
Single Beneficiary Registry
To allow the identification, registration,
selection and classification of the poor
population
The need to integrate databases for a
stronger system and common benefit
Monitoring & Evaluation of
Social Programs
Evaluate the impact of social programs, in
terms of changes in the quality of life of
families
Pilot Project
in Southern Belize
To probe all parts of the SISB
Objectives of the SISB
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Establish a technical, objective, equitable and uniform
mechanism for selecting beneficiaries of social
investment
Specific objectives:
o
o
o
o
classify applicants of social programs in a rapid, uniform
and equitable way;
strengthen institutional development of line ministries with
the establishment of a modern social information system;
support inter-institutional coordination to improve impact of
social spending and avoid duplications;
Focus efforts on the poorest and most vulnerable
SISB WILL BE USED TO ALLOCATE
SOCIAL INVESTMENT
BENEFITS WILL ONLY
GO TO THE FAMILIES
THAT ARE IDENTIFIED
AT THE LOWER RANGES
OF POVERTY
Gross Weekly Income in US$
General Population
Eligible HH
SSN Programmes
Food Pantry
Conditional Assistance
Single Mother’s Project
Beneficiaries
Public Assistance
Education $300 Subsidy
Increasing women’s
employability and reducing
the vulnerability of female
headed households.
Programme Administration Reform
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Modernization and streamlining of programme
administration
Partnerships with non-governmental entities to
deliver services
Single Mother’s Skills Training
Programmme
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Single mothers with household incomes below the
poverty line, who reside in south side Belize City
Focused recruitment of women:
a) below the age of 30 years
b) with active child abuse cases
c) domestic violence survivors
d) who received public assistance in
the past year
Single Mothers (2)
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Comprehensive programme that provides
employable and/or entrepreneurial skills, job
readiness, job identification and placement, psycho
social and support services.
150 women trained and employed since
programme started in late 2009.
Women’s Employability
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Increased support to women’s cooperative
Re-orientation of training programmes delivered by
the Women's Department
Increasing youth
employability
Strengthening the Educational System :
Focusing on Coverage, Quality and Efficiency
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School finance reform
Strengthening School Inspectorate
Establishment of a National Teaching Commission
Increasing coverage of second chance /alternative
education
Re-establishment of apprenticeship programmes
Issues and Challenges
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These are early days and the work is very much in
progress
Increasing the coverage of programmes
Many pots on the fire – ensuring quality and
coherence in programme design, implementation
and M & E
Coordination with other government Ministries