According to World Bank data, around half of the world's population (3.5 billion people) live in extreme poverty, characterized by an income of less than 1.5 dollars a day. In Angola the situation is particularly dramatic as it affects around 18 million people, leaving 30% of the active population out of the economy.
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Valor Criança, a pilot program of social cash transfers, implemented by the Ministry of Social Action, Family and Women's Promotion (MASFAMU) with technical support from UNICEF and Louis Berger, is the answer that was lacking in Angola's anti-poverty policy, as it will collect evidence on the implementation of this social protection model, the results of which will serve to guide future actions for expansion throughout the country.

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_{In implementation since June 2019, the program is directly benefiting 20,000 children through the monthly delivery of 3,000 AOA to 7,700 families in 257 municipalities in the provinces of Moxico, Bié and Uíge. Budgeted at 9 million euros and financed by the European Union, the program aims to “give all children a good start in life, including improved nutrition”.}

The Challenge‍
Historically, direct cash handout programs as a social policy have always faced great resistance from politicians, journalists and influential opinion makers who see this form of social protection as a mechanism for perpetuating vulnerable people's dependence on the state, while other segments of society have associated this model with electioneering projects.

Against this backdrop, we realized that visual communication should focus on feelings of protection, responsibility and solidarity, values that are familiar to most people and particularly relevant in a period of greater economic need. ‍

The creation of the key messages also followed this reasoning, focusing in greater depth on changing habits and behaviors linked to hygiene and eating habits.

These conclusions indicated that it would be necessary to include strategic activities that would increase the level of interaction with public decision-makers, journalists and opinion formers, whose public intervention on the project had the potential to spread misinformation that could hinder the program's implementation.

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Creation of the brand logo‍‍

During the creative process it became clear that it would be essential to create a symbol that was relevant and aligned with the national character, in a period of scarce resources and resulting economic pessimism. The decision was made to create a symbol that represented an affirmation by the state of its duty to guarantee the basic conditions for children's development. The versatility of the image, from the point of view of its application in the most varied formats, materials and sizes, is another important aspect, as this is a program with a very long lifespan.

Implementation of the communication and visibility campaign‍

As stipulated in the TOR, the role of visibility actions plays an important part in the operational strategy, especially as it is focused on changing behavior, eating habits, social and cultural habits, as well as disseminating the program itself. The experiences of implementing similar programs in other parts of the continent have demonstrated the fundamental role of communication, especially in combating myths such as the supposed risks of increased dependency, fertility rates and political exploitation, which often call into question the success of cash transfer programs.

Deliverables‍
During the phase of confirming beneficiary families, the use of community theater as an essential way of conveying the key messages of the campaign has played a fundamental role in relation to the eligibility factors, as well as the overall purpose of the program. Meetings with journalists and opinion formers have been engagement activities that ensure that the news and opinions issued about the program are aligned with the real objectives.

Called Idea Cafés, these meetings have been held in all the provinces where the project is being implemented, involving around 150 people and used to present results, clarify key messages and present the educational material that supports the overall communication strategy. Isenta is also responsible for managing all the programme's communication and dissemination work, creating and producing videos and radio spots, leaflets, banners, rollups, posters, beneficiary cards, managing the official launch event and organizing snack bars and collective interviews with journalists.

Impact‍
After around nine months of implementation, as a result of the program's impact, in which communication has made a decisive contribution, the Angolan government will implement, with funding from the Bank, another Social Cash Transfer program, currently in the pilot phase, which is expected to benefit 1 million families in Luanda's provinces, with the guarantee of child support from the government.‍

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