Kenya has been seriously affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. It has increased the number
of orphans in the country and also the vulnerability of affected households, both through the
loss of productive adults and through the impact of chronic illness. In response, the
Department of Children’s Services (DCS) in the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social
Development, with assistance from UNICEF, developed the Cash Transfer Programme for
Orphans and Vulnerable Children (CT-OVC). After a small pre-pilot phase, a second larger
pilot phase was initiated in seven districts in 2006. At the same time, the Government of
Kenya expanded the Programme in other districts to an additional 30. The Programme
expanded further in 2008/09, with a total of 30,315 households having received financial
support by mid-2009. Additional expansion is planned, the eventual target being to support
100,000 households by 2012