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Ukraine

Ukraine: Post-Distribution Monitoring (PDM): National Social Protection System Support: Complementary Cash Assistance, June 2024

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Executive Summary

 Ukraine has an extensive social protection system, consistently providing government benefits to vulnerable groups. However, wartime has prevented minimum pensions from rising sufficiently to meet increased needs, highlighting the need for nexus programming: using a social protection scheme to address conflict-driven needs beyond the Government’s current capacity.

 In this context, WFP launched a cash assistance programme in August 2023in partnership with the Ministry of Social Policy and Pension Fund of Ukraine, to assist pensioners (both old-age pensioners and people on disability pensions) in the most war-affected areas. The program aims to ensure that those pensioners facing the most aggravated needs can maintain basic living standards, by providing cash transfers complementary to their government pensions. Each eligible pensioner receives the difference between their governmental benefits and 3,250 UAH.

 As of June 2024, the program has benefitted over 459,649 pensioners, with transfers totalling approximately 1.79 billion UAH (about 32.7 million USD).

 In October 2023, a survey was conducted with 772 randomly sampled beneficiaries, establishing a baseline of various indicators. In April 2024, 444 follow-up interviews were conducted with the same group of previously surveyed beneficiaries.

 The majority of the survey respondents were female (62%) and the average age was 57 years. 55% of all surveyed households reported having at least one household member chronically ill; 47% have at least one household member with disability; 39% are households of older people (all household members are 60+ y.o.).

 The respondents’ average income per capita is found to have increased by one fourth compared to the baseline. This aligns with programme objectives, considering that it provides a complement to social benefits, as well as with an overall increase in pensions and salaries renumeration that might have also positively impacted recipients of the programme.

 The use of food consumption-based coping strategies remains high, with 75% of respondents using at least one of them once during the week prior to the data collection. Nevertheless, this is a slight decrease compared to the baseline and the average rCSI has reduced by 14% (1.1 points), from 8.1 to 7. This change was found to be statistically significant. The Food Consumption Score (FCS) remained at a similar level over the period (74% acceptable FCS, baseline – 73%).

 An improvement in the use of Livelihood Coping Strategies (LCS) by supported households was observed: the share of households adopting LCS decreased from 92% to 75% and was found statistically significant.

 No changes were found in the share of households whose expenditure are below the UET (75% baseline and 76% follow up), and analysis shows high needs for health-related expenses.

 The overall level of satisfaction with assistance is high, although many beneficiaries express limited satisfaction with the amount of cash received.

 The process of receiving complimentary cash assistance was found dignified, respectful and safe by the beneficiaries.