Zambia rolled out a no-strings-attached cash transfer program in 2010 for households with at least one child younger than 5 years. AIR evaluated the program’s impact through a two-year randomized control trial in three districts with the highest rates of extreme poverty and mortality among young children. Here’s a quick look at some of the results.

Dollars the Zambian government paid qualifying households per month: 12

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Percent of increased spending that went toward food: 76

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Percentage of this food spending that went toward cereal: 40

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Toward meats, poultry, and fish: 21

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Percentage point increase of households having two or more meals a day: 8

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Percentage point gain in basic necessities—clothing, blankets, and shoes—consumed by children: 33

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Percentage point growth of small businesses opened: 17

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Percent increase in the value of crops harvested: 50

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Percentage point gain in the number of livestock owned: 21

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Source: Zambia’s Child Grant Program: 24-Month Impact Report (2013)