A large-scale education initiative launched by the government of Zimbabwe and funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) is improving attendance rates at schools across the country with a focus on orphans and vulnerable children.
Crown Agents is assisting DFID through the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare to make school fees payments to approximately 400,000 deserving orphans and vulnerable children in 5619 schools.
The Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM) is a key component of the Enhanced Social Protection Programme in Zimbabwe based on a policy and legal framework to provide quality education for children.
Crown Agents is carrying out audits across the schools to ensure funds are properly allocated including conducting interviews with BEAM beneficiaries, committee selection members, school teachers, guardians of beneficiaries and village leaders in the communities.
The team is establishing whether schools are issuing receipts for the funds and if the students are turning up for school. The audit also forms the basis for further investigations in instances where anomalies are discovered.
Crown Agents started to make payments in April 2012 and the BEAM is expected to run up to March 2013. Already, hundreds of children who were previously unable to attend schools are gaining consistent access to education resources.