After a roundtable discussion and presentations on the BOTA Foundation [3]’s innovative anti-poverty programming, the government of Kazakhstan is exploring new approaches to social assistance and poverty reduction. Following a February event with Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Labor and Social Protection (MLSP), World Bank and BOTA Foundation officials met with the head of the MLSP’s Social Assistance Department and her national and regional subordinates on May 31, 2011.
Given state efforts to reform and streamline its complex social assistance programs, Government of Kazakhstan officials were particularly interested in learning more about the BOTA Foundation’s sub-programs for poverty assistance. BOTA representatives presented on the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program, the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), and the Social Service Program (SSP), which represent the “nuts and bolts” of the BOTA Foundation’s poverty reduction toolbox. Special attention was also given to the proxy means testing (PMT) and “case management” approach that allows the BOTA Foundation to ensure that funds are going to individuals and families truly in need of assistance and that beneficiaries comply with program regulations. After the presentations, MSLP officials asked questions about areas where the BOTA Foundation and government assistance programs overlap, especially with regard to youth employment, deinstitutionalization of orphans, poverty reduction, and providing opportunity for the disabled.
The MSLP appreciated the BOTA Foundation’s presentations and expressed a desire to stay current on the programs’ future activities. Thanks to the ideas exchanged at the roundtable, Kazakhstan’s government may be able to use its resources more effectively to assist citizens around the country.