Pakistan’s National Cash Transfer Programme, the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP)

  • P Project/Program

I Inactive

Key Information

To reduce poverty and improve living standards and educational attainment in the poorest families by providing regular payments to the female head of household. 315,000 additional beneficiary families will benefit by 2020. BISP’s eligible families receive a stipend of approximately £1.60 per child every month for their children to enroll in and attend primary school. The stipend is conditional on at least 70% attendance in each quarter. The CCT component of this programme is supporting 2.4 million children to enrol in and attend primary school and directly contribute to Millennium Development Goals 1: Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; and Millennium Development Goals 2: Achieve universal primary education.


Lead Implementing Government(s)

Pakistan

Location(s)

South Asia

Pakistan

Government Affiliation

Government-affiliated program

Years

2012 - 2021

Partner(s)

Benazir Income Support Program (BISP), Rural Support Pakistan Network (RSPN) , Mott Mcdonald Limited, Oxford Policy Management

Ministry Affiliation

No ministry specified

COVID-19 Response

Unknown

Geographic Scope

National

Meets gender-transformative education criteria from the TES  

Unknown

Areas of Work Back to Top

Education areas

Attainment

  • Primary completion
  • Primary enrollment

Other skills

  • Rights/empowerment education

Cross-cutting areas

  • Economic/livelihoods (including savings/financial inclusion, etc.)
  • Nutrition

Program participants

Target Audience(s)

Mothers, Other caregivers

Age

4 - 12

School Enrolment Status

Population of interest is not school-aged

School Level

  • Lower primary
  • Upper secondary

Other populations reached

  • Boys in school
  • Girls in school

Participants include

Not applicable or unknown

Program Approaches Back to Top

Community engagement/advocacy/sensitization

  • Mothers' clubs

Reducing economic barriers

  • Unconditional cash transfers (including non-cash goods) to individuals/households

Program Goals Back to Top

Education goals

  • Increased enrolment in primary school
  • Increased primary school completion
  • Increased re-enrolment in school among out-of-school children
  • Reduced absenteeism

Cross-cutting goals

  • Reduced poverty/increase household well-being

Additional Information Back to Top

Primary Contact

Amna Khan
U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)
Social Development Advisor and Lead Advisor for BISP
amna-khan@dfid.gov.uk