Kemensos, TNP2K hold PKH training event for regional programme implementers

11 September 2014

Some 237,571 beneficiaries of the Family Hope Programme’s (Program Keluarga Harapan, more commonly known as PKH) 2008 cohort were recertified in 2013, said the Director of Social Assistance at the Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos) Dr. M.O. Royani, M.Si. According to preliminary results, 154,199 will continue receiving benefits (“transition”), with remaining 83,372 no longer needing assistance or no longer meeting programme criteria (“graduated”). Final figures will be released after the PKH recertification grievance process, which starts later this month.

Dr. Royani gave the opening speech at the “Implementing Recertification Results and Handling Recertification Complaints for PKH Cohort 2008”, a training session for regional PKH implementers held at the Balairung Hotel in Jakarta on 11-13 September 2014. The event was organised by the Kemensos, with assistance from TNP2K.

Ainul Huda, TNP2K team leader for PKH recertification, gave a presentation on the programme’s recertification mechanisms and grievance handling. He described several characteristics that PKH implementers should observe in the field when assessing the eligibility of PKH households, including the assets and overall health of family members.

During the event, participants took part in a series of group workshops, and were invited to list their aspirations for the three-day event. Among these, participants said they hoped to learn about any changes in PKH materials, and how the materials developed in sessions could be used in the field.

PKH is a conditional cash transfer programme that provides assistance to 2.4 million of the very poorest households in Indonesia. Families receive financial assistance by meeting a series of health and education criteria. The programme, therefore, not only helps to reduce the spending burden of impoverished households, but also invests in the futures of younger generations. A recertification survey was implemented in 2013 for all households from the 2007 and 2008 PKH cohorts to assess whether, after receiving PKH for six years, they still meet the programme’s eligibility criteria.

Participants of today’s event came from across Indonesia, with representatives of regional coordination and PKH implementation units arriving from Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi and West Nusa Tenggara.

This was the second event organised for PKH implementers in recent months, following a seminar and workshop held in August at the Double Tree Hotel, Jakarta. Click here to read the article on the event.