The promise andl imitations of cash transfer programs for HIV prevention

ABSTRACT

As the search for more effective HIV prevention strategies continues; increased attention is being paid to the potential role of cash transfers in prevention programming in sub-Saharan Africa. To date; studies testing the impact of both conditional and unconditional cash transfers on HIV-related behaviours and outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa have been relatively small-scale and their potential feasibility; costs and benefits at scale; among other things; remain largely unexplored. This article examines elements of a successful cash transfer program from Latin America and discusses challenges inherent in scaling-up such programs. The authors attempt a cost simulation of a cash transfer program for HIV prevention in South Africa comparing its cost and relative effectiveness - in number of HIV infections averted - against other prevention interventions. If a cash transfer program were to be taken to scale; the intervention would not have a substantial effect on decreasing the force of the epidemic in middle- and low-income countries. The integration of cash transfer programs into other sectors and linking them to a broader objective such as girls' educational attainment may be one way of addressing doubts raised by the authors regarding their value for HIV prevention