Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

This paper examines the impacts of a cash plus pilot intervention in Tanzania on adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health knowledge. The program examined in this study provided adolescents living in households receiving cash transfers with a complementary intervention comprised of 1) liveilihood and life skills training; 2) mentoring and asset transfer; and 3) supply-side strengthening of adolescent-friendly HIV and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. To our knowledge, the current study is the first to specifically examine impacts of a cash plus model on youth well-being and safe transitions to adulthood in the context of a government cash transfer program in sub-Saharan Africa.

We use experimental data from 2,104 youths interviewed at baseline and one year after the start of the intervention (midline) in two districts of southern Tanzania. We utilize Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and single difference estimations to examine programme impacts. In addition, we analyse qualitative data from 40 male and female adolescents aged 14-19.

We find increased knowledge of modern contraceptives as a result of the cash plus intervention. In addition, we find significant and positive impacts of the program in one out of four indicators measuring HIV knowledge. In terms of knowledge on where to get access to contraception, condoms, or get tested for sexually transmitted infections, we find a decrease in the number of adolescents who do not know where to access these services (even though knowledge at baseline is already high).