Evangelical Lutheran Church Cash Grant (Emergency Cash Grant / "Tumbutumbu")
An emergency, unconditional cash transfer launched in September 2013 by the United Church Council of Namibia Evangelical Lutheran Churches (UCC-NELC), the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the ACT Alliance, in response to Namibia's worst drought in decades. Explicitly modeled on the 2008-09 Otjivero-Omitara Basic Income Grant pilot, it paid N$100 (about US$10) per registered person per month for nine months (September 2013-May 2014) via NamPost debit cards to residents of four hard-hit rural communities: Ongongo (Kunene), Onangholo (Omusati), Ncaute (Kavango East) and Amperbo (Hardap). About 5,663 people were registered across the four communities (roughly 4,859 direct individual beneficiaries), and the grant was locally nicknamed "Tumbutumbu" ("From Nothingness"). An independent impact assessment (Haarmann & Haarmann, 2015) found households used the grants mainly for food security, healthcare, school fees and small livestock/farming investments.
Drought Relief, Faith-Based, Basic-Income-Inspired, Emergency Cash Transfer, Sub-Saharan Africa
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- United Church Council of Namibia Evangelical Lutheran Churches (UCC-NELC), implemented jointly with the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Department for World Service
- Country
- Namibia
Contact
- Website
- https://lutheranworld.org/
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 5,663
- Funding type
- Nonprofit, Philanthropic
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- NAD
- Total Amount
- 900 NAD (≈ $53.78)
- Avg. Per Month
- 100 NAD (≈ $5.98)
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 9 months
- Distribution Type
- Debit Card (NamPost)
- Benefit details
N$100 (~US$10) per registered beneficiary was paid monthly for nine months (Sept 2013-May 2014), loaded onto a NamPost debit card issued to a female member of each household (who did not have to be a beneficiary herself, e.g. a grandmother receiving a pension). The grant was paid universally to registered residents of the four selected communities except those already receiving an old-age pension or other government grant, or with taxable income above N$50,000/year. Recipients also received psychosocial support and training on emergency preparedness and advocacy alongside the cash.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Eligibility was determined mainly by geographic targeting: residency in one of four communities (Ongongo/Kunene, Onangholo/Omusati, Ncaute/Kavango East, Amperbo/Hardap) selected jointly by the three Lutheran churches, LWF and TARA as among the areas hardest hit by the 2012/13 drought. Within these communities the grant was paid to all registered individuals except those already receiving an old-age pension or other government grant, or whose taxable income exceeded N$50,000/year (their household members still qualified for the grant).
Financial
- Income limit (annual household)
- $50,000
- Currently receiving government benefits
- Disqualifying
Geography
- Countries covered
- Namibia
- Cities covered
- Ongongo (Kunene Region), Onangholo (Omusati Region), Ncaute (Kavango East Region), Amperbo (Hardap Region)
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Optional
- Complementary program enrollment required
- Psychosocial support and training on emergency preparedness/advocacy were provided alongside the cash grant, not confirmed as a mandatory condition of receiving payment.
- Research / participation requirements
A subset of households in two of the four communities took part in baseline and follow-up impact surveys and case-study interviews conducted by TARA and researchers Claudia and Dirk Haarmann for the July 2015 impact assessment. Participation in this research appears to have been for evaluation/monitoring purposes rather than a condition of receiving the grant.
Application Process
- How to apply
There was no open individual application process. Local researchers, community coordinators and TARA conducted door-to-door household registration exercises in the four selected communities in September 2013 to compile the beneficiary database, which was then used with NamPost to issue debit cards and process monthly payments.
- Selection process
Communities (not individuals) were first selected via geographic targeting by the three Lutheran churches, LWF and TARA based on drought severity across four regions. Within each selected community, the grant was paid universally to all registered residents except those already receiving a government pension/grant or earning taxable income above the N$50,000/year exclusion threshold.
