The beneficiaries will receive monthly disbursements so that they can purchase food and supplements for the proper development of their pregnancy. This sum will continue until the baby is two years old, if certain requirements are met
Women who access the bonus must be in a situation of poverty or extreme poverty. (Photo: EFE/Zayra Mo)
In his accountability speech after a year in office, President Guillermo Lasso offered to deliver a bonus for pregnant women and mothers of children under six months in vulnerable situations. The so-called “first thousand days” bonus is one of the actions that the government wants to implement to combat child malnutrition. However, this is not the first time that there has been talk of a bonus for this purpose, sincein July 2021, the government communicated about this option that has not yet materialized.
Ecuador ranks second with the highest rates of chronic child malnutrition in children under 5 years of age in Latin America.
Luis Enrique Coloma, ad honorem government counselor for public policies to combat child malnutrition, indicated that since June this year pregnant women will be able to access the bonus, which he defined as a “non-contributory monetary transfer.” Pregnant women will receive USD 50 per month from the time their pregnancy is reported to the Ministry of Public Health (MSP) and until the baby is two years old.
In addition to the USD 50 monthly, women will receive three other bonuses. One of them will depend on the date on which the pregnancy was reported and the woman will receive an additional USD 10 each month, it could even reach USD 90. This additional accumulated bonus will be delivered only if the mother completed at least three prenatal check-ups and registered her baby within the first 45 days of birth in the Civil Registry.
President Guillermo Lasso offered to deliver a bonus for pregnant women and mothers of children under six months in a vulnerable situation
The second additional bonus will be USD 120 and will be delivered when the baby turns a year. The condition to deliver this value will be that the mother has taken the baby to six medical check-ups “of the growth of the healthy child”. The third bonus will also be USD 120, it will be delivered when the little one turns two years old and only if you attended at least four of the regulatory medical check-ups.
The government expects to benefit between 25,000 and 37,000 women who are pregnant or have babies under 6 months. The beneficiaries must be in a situation of vulnerability such as poverty or extreme poverty and must not receive any other type of aid from the State.
“The idea is that with this voucher these women will be able to feed themselves with the basics, buy basic necessities and this will help them take better care of their gestation process and their newborn children,” Coloma specified.
In new editions of this bond, the counselor indicated that it is expected to give this aid to more women, between 37,000 and 40,000.
To select The creditors will carry out an analysis with government data to select those women who do not receive the human development bonus and who are in a situation of poverty and extreme poverty. Coloma has indicated that the bonus will be deposited in the bank account of the beneficiary and that the government will implement mechanisms so that only that woman can collect the money.
For the effective delivery of the bonus, inter-institutional work will be important, since it is necessary to cross-check the data and be aware of the notifications from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Economic and Social Inclusion (MIES). The Ecuador Secretariat Grows without Child Malnutrition will supervise the execution of this Lasso promise: “Once the MSP confirms the pregnancy, it confirms that the woman does not receive another bonus and meets the vulnerability levels and determines that she can be a beneficiary… the bonus will be delivered and administered by the MIES,” said Coloma.
With this bonus, accompanied by other actions, the government hopes to reduce chronic child malnutrition by at least six points until 2025, when Lasso ends his term.