Social protection is increasingly seen as an
important component of poverty reduction
strategies and efforts to reduce vulnerability
to economic, social, natural and other
shocks and stresses. It can play an important role in
strengthening access to and demand for quality basic
services and social welfare services by the poorest
through childhood and beyond. Social protection can
also facilitate a better balance between care-giving and
productive work responsibilities which is critical for the
achievement of the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) (especially MDGs 4 and 5) (Jones et al., 2008).
This Background Note synthesises learning from a
programme of work on child-sensitive social protection
in West and Central Africa undertaken by ODI and UNICEF
between 2007 and 2010. It draws on six diverse country
case study examples: Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Mali,
Niger, Republic of Congo (Congo) and Senegal.
The West and Central African region (WCA) has the
highest aggregate poverty and vulnerability levels in
the world, as well as some of the most challenging
governance environments. Demographically, children
make up a very high percentage of the population (an
average of 50%), but most countries in the region are
significantly off-track in terms of meeting the childrelated
MDGs. This underscores the urgency of a childsensitive
approach to social protection interventions