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Good practices of initiative:

Solidarity Communities

Relevance
It measures the alignment of the initiative with existing policy frameworks in the country. In addition, the scalability of the initiative to other realities and geographies is valued.
Marco Description Ambit Country Source
Five-Year Development Plan 2010-2014 of El Salvador The program is part of the Universal Social Protection System, announced in the 2010-2014 Five-Year Development Plan. This system represents a substantial shift in the way we understand and implement social policy, moving from a residual approach to a universal one, based on a human rights-based approach. National El Salvador Link
Eficacy
This measures how well the objectives and goals set out in the initiative were fulfilled, as well as the extent to which the results achieved are attributable to the actions implemented by the initiative.
Indicator Description Indicator Type Measure Unit Base date Base Goal Measure Date Measure Compliance Source
Coverage of Beneficiary Families Number of families receiving education and health vouchers Effectiveness Number of families 06-01-2009 0 familias 100,000 familias (2014) 31-12-2014 Más de 100,000 familias 100 Link
Drinking Water and Sanitation Coverage Percentage of drinking water and sanitation coverage in municipalities with extreme poverty. Effectiveness Percentage (%) 06-01-2009 80% (2014) 01-01-1970 70.1% Link
Eficiencia
Efficiency is the assessment of whether a public intervention achieves its objectives while using resources in a way that the costs incurred are proportional to the economic, social, or environmental benefits obtained.
Indicator Description Indicator Type Measure Unit Base date Base Goal Measure Date Measure Compliance Source
Cost per beneficiary family of the program Efficiency USD per family No especificada en el documento. No especificada en el documento. $7,300 USD por familia (730 millones USD / 100,000 familias) Link
Sustentaibility
It measures the installed capacities or actions identified to maintain or improve the results of the policy initiative.
Indicator Description Indicator Type Measure Unit Base date Base Goal Measure Date Measure Compliance Source
Number of municipal coordination committees established and functioning Local coordination bodies that guarantee the continuity and territorial appropriation of the program. Sustainability Number of committees. 2009-01-06 0 comités 125 comités. 125 comités establecidos. 100% (125 committees established) Link
Learned lessons
Gained knowledge from implementing, evaluating, and managing a policy intervention, including why it was or was not effective and how it could be improved in the future.
Lesson Description Source
Intersectoral Coordination as the Backbone of the Program During implementation, it became clear that the success of a multisectoral program depends critically on the existence of effective coordination mechanisms. The creation of the intersectoral committee of the Universal Social Protection System, led by the Technical Secretariat of the Presidency, allowed traditionally disjointed ministries to work synergistically. However, this coordination required consistent political leadership and a clear definition of the roles and responsibilities of each participating institution. Experience has shown that without this level of coordination, comprehensive programs tend to fragment and lose effectiveness. Link
The Transformative Power of Evidence-Based Geographic Targeting The use of the Poverty Map as a geographic targeting tool became one of the program's most successful elements. This methodology made it possible to scientifically identify the 100 poorest rural municipalities and the 412 precarious urban settlements, concentrating limited resources where they were most needed. Geographic targeting not only optimized the use of resources but also facilitated the generation of territorial synergies, where different interventions mutually reinforced each other in specific areas. Link
Co-responsibility as a Mechanism of Empowerment and Appropriation The design of conditional cash transfers achieved an exceptional 98% compliance rate for shared responsibilities in education and health, demonstrating that families living in extreme poverty can and will fulfill their commitments when provided with the appropriate conditions. Family training sessions, initially conceived as a secondary component, proved to be fundamental spaces for strengthening social capital, empowering women, and fostering community ownership of the program. Women beneficiaries reported significant increases in their self-esteem and family decision-making capacity. Link
Local Participation as a Guarantee of Sustainability The creation of 125 municipal coordination committees and 2,300 community committees became the most effective strategy for ensuring the program's sustainability. These bodies not only facilitated implementation but also became permanent territorial development structures that transcended the program's duration. Local governments significantly strengthened their management and participatory planning capacities, turning the program into a school of territorial government. Link
Information Systems as Tools of Efficiency and Transparency The implementation of the Single Participant Registry proved to be a crucial innovation that avoided duplication, improved targeting, and facilitated coordination between different social programs. This system not only increased operational efficiency but also strengthened transparency and accountability, key elements for maintaining the program's social legitimacy. Experience has shown that investing in robust information systems from the outset is more efficient than attempting to create them during implementation.
Gender as a Transformative Axis, Not Just a Component The decision to grant women ownership of the transfers had impacts that went beyond the initial objective of improving targeting. Significant economic and social empowerment was observed among the participating women, who increased their participation in family and community decisions. The promotion of non-traditional trades for women in the employability component opened up new economic opportunities and began to transform cultural patterns of gender segregation in the workplace.
The Complexity of Integrality: Benefits and Challenges The comprehensive approach based on four pillars (human capital, basic services, income generation, and territorial management) generated synergistic impacts greater than the sum of individual interventions, but also required exceptional institutional coordination and management capacities. Gradual implementation, municipality by municipality, proved to be a fundamental strategy for managing this operational complexity without sacrificing the quality of the interventions. Experience has shown that comprehensiveness is desirable but must be built progressively, not implemented simultaneously in all its dimensions from the outset.


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