1. Inter-American Cooperation Network for Social Protection
Transfer of Chile’s Puente Program
to the Caribbean
Francisco Pilotti, Director Department of Social Development and Employment Reñaca, July 9-10, 2008

2. Mandates Millennium Development Goal No. 1:
Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger
IV Summit of the Americas:
Identify and exchange, within the framework of the OAS, practices in the region regarding policies and programs to confront poverty.

3. Selection Criteria Effective reduction of extreme poverty
Effective reduction of inequality
Effective targeting aimed at the poorest
Redistributive Impact – Progressiveness
Consolidated programs

4. Conditional Cash Transfers
They meet the established criteria
They attack the reproduction of intergenerational poverty
The family as a unit of intervention: delivery of integrated services
Participation of local governments
Empowerment of citizens
User satisfaction

5. The Puente Program
Established in 2002, the Program focuses on the family as the unit of intervention. During 24 months, Puente seeks to empower the family in order to improve its quality of life in seven dimensions:
Health
Education
Civil Registry (Identification)
Housing
Employment
Family Dynamics
Income Generation

6. Achievements of the Chile Puente Program
Five years of implementation
Coverage:270,000 families
High impact on poverty reduction during according to World Bank
Positive evaluation by ECLAC
International interest in general and by the Caribbean in particular
Source: CASEN

7. Strategic Alliance FOSIS - MIDEPLAN
Ministry of Social Development, Trinidad & Tobago
Ministry of Social Transformation and the Poverty Reduction Fund of St. Lucia
Ministry of Labor and Social Security and the Jamaica Social Investment Fund
University of the West Indies
CIDA – Canada
Government of Chile

8. The Puente Methodology
Psychosocial
Support and Subsidies
Follow-Up
Families in extreme
poverty
24 months
Autonomous families with access to
protection networks
Toolkit: how can it be shared?

9. DSDE Strategy for Institutional Strengthening
Main components of the Horizontal Cooperation
Critical transfer of knowledge, skills, and lessons learned
Seeks relevance
Discards the simple replica of a model
Facilitates the comparative approach
Ensures mutual learning
Combines educational, traditional, and virtual approaches
Permanent connectivity
Network management
Academic support

10. Building a Bridge for the Puente
Bridging Puente
Critical Transfer must take into account differences such as:
Legal
Administrative
Cultural/Linguistic
Family Dynamics
Service Delivery
Other Variables
Migration
HIV/AIDS

11. Main Activities 2007 Formation of task force
Launching workshop, Kingston
Website
Internship, Chile
National work plans
2008
Monitoring by FOSIS tutors in the Caribbean
Evaluation of achievements, Trinidad y Tobago, September
Results presented at Conference for CARICOM countries, September
Incorporation of 3 new countries into the Program

12. Achievements of the Program
Increased institutional coordination through the establishment of Social Networks in the countries
3 local programs that have incorporated the principles of the Puente Program, adapting them to their local reality
Political support at the highest level
Consolidation of a network between the participating countries to exchange their own experiences and lessons
Increased demand for this program in other countries and regions

13. Lessons for the Inter-American Cooperation
Relevance and pertinence: We must consider and value the realities of the countries involved when designing the programs so that they are relevant and pertinent
Short-term value - Solutions to contingent problems
Long-term value - Formation and systematization of a knowledge base
An effective communication and participation strategy is important for ensuring the support of local partners
Political will is essential for the success of programs of this nature